


The Long Way Down

by Katiebees



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2018-04-08 20:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 114,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4320375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katiebees/pseuds/Katiebees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She didn't expect to live past her eighteenth birthday. That was the day she was destined to die. But the Chancellor changed everything when he sent her and 99 other delinquents to a planet no longer meant for human life. Now she must come to amends with her past and learn to live in this new, exciting and dangerous place. Eventual Bellamy/OC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!
> 
> A/N: This story has been nagging me from the back of my mind for awhile, and so, I've finally decide to type it out. A couple of things to note, this will be a Bellamy/OC story. But that being said, it's going to take time for the characters to develop and their relationship to evolve before things get more real between them.
> 
> A big thank you to Dannylionthe1st, who has been an incredible beta, and is wonderful at listening to my endless ideas at all times of the day!
> 
> So here it is! Please enjoy, and don't forget to let me know what you think! :)

 

Chapter One

Today, something was different. In the six-hundred and twenty one days that she had been locked in here, nothing _ever_ changed - there had always been a routine, a _system,_ that her life revolved around, that kept her sane.

After all, some would go crazy staring at the same four walls. They were a constant reminder that she would never be free - that this was now her home, until the very end.

Sometimes, when she closed her eyes after the lights went out, she felt like the walls were moving, constricting around her, the space around her shrinking, getting _tighter_ , the air getting thicker until she could no longer breath.

She rarely had visitors anymore. _He_ had come once, during the very beginning. Despite her desperate and urgent explanations, his anger, betrayal and lack of understanding echoed loudly throughout the cell, leaving her in tears. And after he’d been escorted out by the guard, he’d never come back. The friends she thought she had visited a few times, but she’d asked them to stop coming by - not being able to stand their expressions of disbelief - or betrayal.

Now her only companions were the guards who brought her meals, and the never ending silence of her cell.

Often the silence was so profound, so deep, that all she could hear was the never-ending ringing in her ears. Sometimes, if she stilled her movements and kept her breathing shallow, it felt like she was not in the room at all, that she had simply evaporated into thin air, the only thing keeping her there was her awareness. She would hum to herself, to break the endless void, to remind herself that she was still _there,_ breathing and alive -that she hadn't turned into a ghost within these walls.

She didn't know if it was any consolation when she found that she was still breathing.

Time was something that she had plenty of. Every minute, every second seemed to drag on for an eternity, while at the same time all blurring into one. She kept to her routine every day, to keep the boredom at bay, to keep track of the days, and as a way to stay sane. Wake up, wait for her morning rations, exercise, re-read one of her books, daydream, exercise some more, evening rations, will herself to sleep. Repeat.

She used to have days where all she could do was cry, wishing things went back to the way they had been before, before things had turned so very, very wrong. She knew that it was foolish, that nothing could change the past, but sometimes she just closed her eyes and _wished_.

But she knew that no matter how much she wanted it, how desperately she wished, she would be here until she turned eighteen - the day that she would be old enough to be executed for her crimes.

It wasn't so far away now, she would be eighteen in a couple of months, and then her incarceration would be over, she would be free.

It was the freedom she looked forward to the most. That soon she would no longer have to spend her days in this room. That she would finally be allowed to disappear.

The thought gave her hope, it kept her going, gave her the energy to continue her day-in and day-out routine. Nothing would change.

But today, from the moment she woke up, she knew something _had_ _changed_.

She could feel it. The air in the Skybox nearly hummed with tension that hadn't been there the night before. It set her teeth on edge, and made every hair on her body stand on end, like someone had run cold fingers down her spine.

It felt like the entire prison was holding its breath, shoulders hunched, waiting for the other boot to drop.

So, as she lay on her bed, one arm folded behind her head, the other playing with the one possession she had been allowed to keep - her mother's old worn heart shaped necklace - she waited. And she wasn't sure what she was waiting for, what _could_ change?

As she stared up through her Skylight in the ceiling, mystified by the massive blue orb in the distant - Earth - she jumped, startled, when the silence was pierced by a single panicked and desperate shout, the sound echoing from deep within the prison.

Heart in her throat, Alexandra Evans pushed herself up onto her elbows at the unexpected sound.  As she sat up, she strained to hear what was happening on the other side of the metal door that separated her from the rest of the Ark, pushing long blond hair behind her ears in the effort to do so. For a moment, there was just the return of reassuring silence, the one she was accustomed to listening to for days on end.

When another cry pierced the air, this one closer, and distinctly more feminine than the first, she fully sat up, staring at the door.

What the hell was going on out there? Two new people? That was pretty rare. Maybe the guards were bringing in some unhappy sods, and they really, _really_ didn't want to be here?  Alex nearly snorted at the thought, rolling her eyes. Them and everyone else stuck in here.

People reacted in different ways when they were first brought in: some cried, screaming all the way to their cell, demanding freedom, trying to convince the deaf ears around them that they weren't at fault.  Others walked in, heads down, shoulders hunched; resigned to the fact that the moment they turned eighteen they would either be set free or floated for their crimes. But there were some, who unlike the rest, walked in head held high, shoulders back, accepting responsibility for their actions. But they were few, very few.

Swinging her sock clad feet off the bed and onto the cool metal floor, she leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her pant clad knees and rubbing the palm of her hands over her face tiredly. Hearing her stomach grumble, she frowned, hoping that whatever the hell was going on out there, they’d hurry up and at some point they’d bring around their midday "meal". She was starving. Her stomach had started protesting hours ago, not too long after their morning rations.

When no other commotion happened for a few minutes, Alex felt herself begin to relax, the tension slowly draining from her shoulders. Maybe there was nothing to worry about after all.

Pushing herself off the bed, she pushed her hair behind her ears, stepping forward to try and peer through the small slit of a window at the top of the door. But before she even had a chance to take more than two steps, the door to her cell clicked and swung open. Startled by the movement, she took a few steps back, towards the far side of the cell, shoulders tensing as two guards walked in: one held a stun baton loosely at his side, the other guard held a small metal box, a small handgun holstered on her thigh.

_Well, that definitely doesn't look like the midday meal,_ she thought wryly, feeling panic start to creep up as they stopped in front of her. Studying them, she tried to ignore the feeling of her heart pounding in her chest. This was definitely not normal, in all the time she had been here she had never had two guards come in her cell, not even when she had visitors.

"Prisoner one - zero - five, turn around and place both hands on the back wall." The blonde guard on the left ordered, the one carrying the small metal box. She recognized her as one of the guards who’d brought her in on her first day here.

_Major Byrne, always a pleasure._ The overwhelming feeling of dislike swept through the at the sight of the woman.

Feeling stupidly brave she licked her dry lips, glancing between them, rubbing her sweaty palms on the rough material of her pants. "Sure, " she replied warily. "As soon as you tell me what the hell is going on."

"No questions. Turn around and do as you are told." The other guard stated, who she didn't recognize, as he stepped forward and with a flick of his wrist, sent the stun baton to life, the dark metallic rod humming with electricity.

Trying, unsuccessfully, not flinch as the weapon came up - those things hurt like a _bitch,_ that she knew from experience _-_ she swallowed and brought up her hands in a sign of surrender. "Okay, jeeze," she said taking a step back, as the two guards stepped forwards.  "Look, I just want to know what's going on. This isn't exactly daily routine."

This definitely wasn't normal. Now that the door was open, she could hear the commotion occurring just outside the door. The shouts that she’d heard earlier were now louder, echoing off the metal walls of the Skybox. In fact, realized with a nervous swallow, that it sounded like a lot more than two people were crying out.

It sounded like _everyone_ in the prison was crying out.

Something was wrong.

As the blonde guard stepped forwards, she started feeling trapped and desperate. "Please, I-I just want to know what's going on." Her lip trembled even as she tried keeping her tone calm and reasonable, hoping for an answer, but she couldn't keep out the wobble that had perforated her voice.

She could only think of one explanation for the chaos around her.

_Oh god, they’re going to float all the prisoners!_ A tremble of terror washed through her at the thought. _No, no, no. I’m not turning eighteen for two more months!_

"Look, my-my birthday isn't for another couple of months. You-you can't do this." She hated the pleading tone her voice took. They couldn't do this!

"Hands on the wall, _now_ ," the blonde repeated, raising her baton.

"Okay, okay!" Turning around, she put her hands firmly on the metal wall, squeezing her eyes closed. As soon as she touched the cold surface her wrists were pulled harshly up behind her back, and she was forced to her knees. As the joints in her shoulders protested at the rough handling, she withheld a cry of pain, leaning forward until her forehead nearly touched the floor to relieve some of the pressure.

"Hold out her wrist."  Came the calm statement from behind her.

Unexpected panic seized her at the comment, and she began struggling, pulling and yanking at her wrists which they held firmly behind her back.

She knew that this was coming, she’d been preparing for it for the past year and a half. She knew she was going to die. But despite knowing and preparing herself for it, she knew that this was wrong. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Not now. She still had more time.  

Panic rose up inside her. As much as she thought she was ready, she realized that she wasn’t even close.

She wanted to live.

"No, no, no! What are you doing?! Please, please! I haven't turned eighteen yet." As her struggles increased, the blond guard grunted and shoved her forwards until she was flat on her stomach, her cheek scratching painfully on the floor. The guard who held her wrists, straddled her lower back, keeping her hips pinned firmly to the ground, so she couldn’t find leverage to fight them off. "No," she moaned, feeling tears well up in her eyes, "I haven't turned eighteen yet. There has to be some mistake."

The dark haired guard must have felt some sort of sympathy for her, because he finally gave her an answer. "Stop struggling, girl! You aren't getting floated."

"What-" She panted, her struggles slowing as she registered what he said. "What? What do you mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Now. Right wrist."

Still reluctant at what they were doing, but now feeling slightly reassured that she wasn't being floated, she slowly relaxed her arm, allowing them to extend it.

"This is going to pinch for a second." Warned the guard as he slid a metal band around her wrist, before he closing the band with a snap.

She yelped, tugging at her wrist at the painful feeling of something piercing the skin, penetrating deeply into the tissue. "What, what the hell is that?" She gasped out, although they both ignored her, staring at her now metal enclosed wrist with expectant stares.

Abruptly, the wristband beeped, a light on the side beginning to flash red.

"Alright." With a sigh, the dark haired guard pushed himself to his feet. "You can let her up now."

Feeling relieved when the almost painful pressure of her lower back disappeared, she slowly pushed herself back until she was sitting on her heels, cradling her sore wrist. Frowning, she stared down at the strange contraption on her arm, wondering what the hell it was.

The metal band was nearly two inches wide, and circled around her wrist tightly. Other than the blinking red light on the inner side of the band, it was very plain. She wondered what it did.

Using the wall, she pushed herself to her feet slowly, rubbing the tender skin around her wrist, rotating it in a circle. She stopped when she felt the needles pull. "If someone had wanted to send me knew jewellery, they could have at least put _jewels_ in it." She winced. _Damn it, Alex, you and your big mouth._

"Watch it, girl." The blonde sneered down at her, raising her baton again until it sizzled in front of her face. "Remember who you are talking to."

"Oh, I remember all right.” Feeling a sudden anger rush up inside her. She remembered him, recognizing him a one of the guard who had arrested her.  “Aren't you Kane's number one bitch?" She sneered back "Still going around arresting young, _innocent_ girls?"

Before either guard had a chance to reply, a new voice interrupted them. "Thompson, Byrne's, I would like a moment with the prisoner." Recognizing the rough voice she turned towards the entrance and found a familiar face standing in the doorway: Lieutenant Miller. Both guards immediately snapped to attention. "Please." He motioned a hand towards the doorway, gesturing for them to leave.

Turning, both men quickly saluted and left the room, taking posts outside, on either side of the door.

Alex watched him warily, wondering why he was here, and he studied her in return, face calm and collected. She felt the bitter taste of betrayal at the back of her throat; considering the man had practically raised her, he hadn't been to visit her a single time since her arrest. Why was he here now? What had changed?

"Mr. Miller. What can I do for you?" She kept her voice cold and level, letting him know his presence was unwanted.

"Hello, Alex," he responded softly in return, looking at her sadly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, actually, now that you mention it- it _has_ been a long time." She hummed thoughtfully to herself, turning to him with a dark glare. "It's been exactly six-hundred and twenty one days." She spat dryly.

"You've counted?" He asked, surprise flashing across his features before he managed to cool his expression.

"Of course," she replied bitterly, waving her arms out to the small cell. "Have to find something to do to pass the time in here. It was either counting days or counting visitor. And since I've been a little low on the visitor side of things, I was really only left with one option."

“Alex, you told everyone to not come and visit, you even told Nate to never come back.” He tried to reason with her, running a hand over his head.

“Yeah, I know,” she shot back, jaw clenched. “But that was _after_ they visited in the first place. You-you never came here, not even once.” She look shook her head in disbelief.

At that, the Lieutenant at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"Alex, I'm not here to fight." He raised a hand, trying to show he was here peacefully.  His other hand rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, and it was then she noticed how weary he looked. There were dark rings under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days. She was faintly surprised to see that his previously dark brown hair was now peppered with grey.

"Then why are you here, Mr. Miller?" She demanded more softly, crossing her arms in front of her.

He gave her a sad look. "I'm here to say goodbye."

The silence that followed his statement could have been cut with a knife. She felt as if a bucket of freezing cold water had been poured onto her body, as if all the air had been forcefully pushed from her lungs. Her arms fell to her sides in shock. _I was right after all, they’re going to float me._

"What?" She breathed out, staring at him in shock. "But-but he said...I have two months..." The energy seemed to evaporate from her body and she sagged back onto her bed in defeat, staring down at her hands blankly. She was going to die.

Seeing her defeat, Lt. Miller stepped forwards, crouching down in front of her, resting his warm, comforting hands on either side of her face.  "Alex- Alex, look at me. Look at me." At his insistence, she looked up meeting his gaze. "You aren't getting floated."

She shook her head. "But - but that doesn't make any sense," she said staring down at him, filling her eyes fill with tears. "You - you said you are here you say goodbye. And that would only happen if..."She took a shuddering breath, "Oh God, I'm going to die."

Shaking his head, he gave a small smile, shaking his head. "You silly girl, " He said affectionately, "You aren't being floated. You are being sent to Earth."

For a moment she stared at him, wondering if he was kidding, but when his countenance didn't change, she blinked. "Seriously?" She deadpanned.

"Yes, Alex. I'm being serious," he responded, giving her a hard stare. "Earth is the only chance you are going to get. If you stay here, in two months you _are_ going to get floated." He continued evenly and she swallowed at the casual reference to her impending death. "This- this is a chance for you to be free."

"Or it’s an easy way to get rid of people," she continued dryly, staring at him in disbelief. He shook his head in response.

"Think about it. It's been nearly one hundred years...Enough time for the radiation to go down. The surface could be livable."

"Or it could be the seven layers of radiation hell," she mumbled in response before looking up to meet his gaze. "What if I don't want to go?" She added meekly.

"I'm sorry, but the Chancellor has made his decision. All one-hundred of the prisoners are being sent to the surface."

"I see...because we're expendable." She nodded to herself, before glancing down at her wristband."Is that what these are for? To transmit our stats back up here?"

With a small smile he nodded. "Yes, they will let us know your vital signs, and tell us if it is safe enough for the rest of us to follow."

"To follow?" She asked, perplexed.

An excited smile spread across his face, "Alex, if the surface is survivable, than the citizens of the Ark will finally be able to go home!"

She studied him for a moment and she knew she didn't have a choice in the matter, she was going into one of the drop ship _today,_ being sent to Earth, with a hundred other delinquents, to see if they _survived._ She wanted to shake her head, tell him how outrageous the idea was- how stupid. The drop ship was never going to make it, it would probably blow up into a million pieces as it entered the atmosphere. And _if_ , and that was a big if, they somehow survived the atmosphere and the landing, they were probably going to be exposed to astronomical amount of radiation - enough to kill every single one of them in a matter of hours.

But... if they _somehow_ made it through the atmosphere, and they _somehow_  survived the landing, and the radiation on the surface turned out to not be as bad as they thought... then she wouldn't have to worry about her review, her impending execution. She could start over...she could be _free_.

She wouldn't have to think about her family ever again.

Meeting Lt. Miller gaze, she nodded her head firmly. "Let's do this."

Looking relieved at her answer, he pushed himself up. "You are going to need to be sedated when we move you. All one- hundred of you will be." He explained pulling out a small syringe. "Remember when you're down there you need to get organized. You're going to need food, water, shelter, ways to keep warm...you need to _think_ if you are going to survive.” He paused for a moment, “And remember, you are going to be among delinquents, so be careful."

"I know, I know." She waved him off. "I was a top grad for Earth Skills." Giving him a shaky smile - oh god, was this really about to happen? - she pointed at herself, giving him a shaky smile. "Delinquent number one sitting right here, remember?"

He tried to look amused by her statement, but his expression quickly turned sad. "I'm so, _so_ sorry, Alex. I wish I’d come sooner. Things have been...hectic to say the least. And I know that’s not an excuse, but I wanted you to know that Nathan, Molly and I still care for you. We always will."

Studying him for a moment, she felt the sincerity in his words. Standing up, she threw her arms up around his neck, and after a moment of hesitation he returned the gesture. "I forgive you," She mumbled into his chest. Leaning back she looked up at him with a watery smile, feeling tears pool in her eyes. "Thank you, and I really mean it. Thank you for coming to say goodbye. It-it means more than you'll ever know."

Wiping her eyes, she stepped back, sitting back down on her bed. "Enough girly moments. Let's get this show on the road." She abruptly snorted at her own comment, before shaking her head. "That's going to be weird. I might actually _see_ a 'road' soon."

He snorted in response at her weird humour. Leaning forwards he took her arm, poising the tip of the needle over her shoulder.  He met her gaze. "You ready?"

Taking a deep breath, she just about nodded when a thought occurred to her.

"Wait." At her request, he paused, syringe near her arm. She hesitated. "Does he - does he know? And Liam?"

He shook his head sadly, "Of course, he voted with the rest of the Council. I'm sorry, Alex, he wouldn't come. And Liam’s still the same, his condition hasn't changed." Her heart twinged at the thought of him, shaking her head she forced herself away from those thoughts.

"Figures." She mumbled. As hard as she tried, she couldn't force down the bitter feeling of disappointment that welled up. What did she expect? Her dad believed she was a murderer, and nothing was ever going to change that.

Nodding, she motioned for him to continue.

She barely flinched when the needle broke her skin, although as soon as he emptied the contents, a calming warmth began to spread through her body, originating from her arm. Feeling woozy, she giggled. "Feels nice. Oops!" she slurred out starting to fall forwards, but Lt. Miller quickly caught her and set her gently on her bed.

The edges of her vision slowly turned black, and the distinct shape of Lt. Miller slowly blurred above her.

She heard one last thing before she fell into unconsciousness.

"Take care of yourself, Alex. I know you guys will survive down there."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: How was that? Please review and let me know what you thought!
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!  
> Thank you to my wonderful beta Dannylionthe1st! Couldn't have written this without you!  
> Enjoy!

Chapter Two

"Son of a bitch."

Those were the first words that escaped from her mouth as she was slowly dragged back to consciousness. The world around her spun, shaking and vibrating, making her feeling like her brain was rattling around the inside of her head. A sudden lurch would have probably thrown her around if she didn't feel like she had been nailed to whatever torturous chair she had the displeasure of sitting on.

She was uncomfortable. Very, very uncomfortable. Her neck was bent forward at an awkward angle, chin resting on her chest. The muscles at the back of her neck screamed in protest at what she assumed was a position she had been in for a long time.

_Why can’t I move?_

It felt as if she were being constricted, something coiling tightly around her chest, keeping her from taking a full breath. Her shoulder blades dug painfully into the hard surface behind her.

_Need to get out, need to get out!_

She couldn’t concentrate. There was loud noises all around her: voices, metal creaking , crackling and she wasn’t sure what else. She couldn’t focus. She recognized the beginning of a panic attack: her heart beat steady increasing in tempo, pounding harshly behind her ribs as she tried to control her nerves. She was close to hyperventilating, she could feel it, her breaths coming out in nearly short shallow gasps. She needed to get out, _now_ , before it got any worse.

Wetness slide down her face from her hairline, and she felt her heart leap, eyes snapping open. Hastily raising a hand she wiped her face, quickly looking at it. It was only sweat. There was no blood.

She was okay, she wasn’t there.

_I’m okay. Come on Evans, get a grip._

Taking a steadying breath, she felt  her nerves steady, her pulse slowing returning to normal.

Where the hell was she? She tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. She had been in her cell and...Lt. Miller had come to visit her? The thought shot a strike of pain through her forehead and she winced, eyes clenching shut..

"Son of a _bitch_." She gasped out again. Even thinking made her head hurt.

A distinctly masculine snort of amusement came from somewhere beside her. "You know, that's the second time you've said that." He pointed out.

Trying to relax her shoulders, she took a deep steadying breath before answering. She didn't bother to open her eyes. "Thanks for that, Captain Obvious," she mumbled in reply, bringing a hand up and massaging her forehead.

Why the freaking hell was everything shaking? It felt like she had been thrown into a small jar, which someone had then decided to shake. Repeatedly.

Finally peeling her lead-weighted eyelids open, she groggily peered around herself. She blinked.

Blinked again.

"What the hell?" She breathed out.

All around her were rows upon rows of teenagers, all sitting shoulder to shoulder, strapped tightly into their seats, or to the walls, with red harnesses. From what she could see, the group consisted mainly of guys, although there were a few girls sitting scattered throughout the rows.

Oh, yeah. She was being sent to Earth, with a bunch of other delinquents. This was going to be fun.

It seemed like there were mixed feeling as to what was going on, some looking excited at being out of the Skybox, others looking petrified, faces paper white and eyes wide, terrified of the unknown.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God." A young voice prayed from in front of her, she turned to see a girl who was probably only just entering her teenage years sitting right across from her. Dark lashes framed tightly clenched eyes, her hands woven in her long, dark brown hair.

"She's been like that since she woke up," said one of the boys strapped to the side of the drop ship not far from where she was sitting. She recognized his voice as that of Captain Obvious, and quirked an eyebrow at him. He was thin and lanky, light brown hair tucked beneath what looked to be goggles, which were perched above his forehead. Next to him sat a boy with black hair, still clearly unconscious, his head rolling back and forth with every jolt of the drop ship.

Frowning, she sent the goggle wearing boy a nod of acknowledgement before leaning forwards, trying to catch the girls attention.

"Hey, hey, you alright?" Alex called across to her, immediately feeling like an idiot for asking the question. It was apparent to anyone who was looking that the girl was anything but alright. She heard a snort of amusement from Captain Obvious, and felt a blush creep up her face, pointedly refusing to look in his direction. Trying to cover the stupidity of her question she hurried to continue, “We’ll be alright.” When the girl didn't seem to notice, she reached a hand across and lightly touched her knee. At the touch, the girl jumped, flailing wildly, and Alex was sure that if she hadn't been restrained in her seat, she would have leapt out of her chair entirely. Wide, scared eyes stared back at her. Startled at the reaction, Alex retracted her hand slowly, trying to show that she meant no harm. "We’ll be alright." She repeated, in a soothing voice, even when the girl continued to stare at her blankly.

At the question, the younger girls lip trembled a little bit. Biting her lip, she shook her head. "We-we're gonna die." She whimpered closing her eyes, her head falling back into her hands.

Alex flinched when the drop ship took a particularly hard jolt, wondering what she could say to comfort the younger girl. It was true, they probably were going to die; maybe not when they hit the atmosphere,  and maybe not when they landed, but they were landing on a planet where a nuclear war had ravaged the surface. If they landed, the radiation would probably kill them in a few days.

She didn’t need to tell her that; from the young girl’s reaction, she already knew.

But Alex _could_ help, she could keep the young girl’s mind off of whatever was coming.

Alex reached out, placing it comfortingly on the young girls knee. When the girl looked up at her she gave her a small, hopefully comforting, smile. "Hey, we're going to be alright." She nodded her head as if to emphasize her point. "What's your name? Mine's Alex."

The younger girl peeked out at her from between her hands. "I'm Jemma," she mumbled in response.

"Jemma? That's a pretty name." Alex smiled in encouragement. When the goggle wearing boy nearby pointedly cleared his throat, she gave him a questioning look.

"I'm Jasper," he said with a grin, holding out a hand, which she took reluctantly. The guy seemed to be vibrating with energy, everything about him jittered.

"You are way too excited about this," she commented dryly, with an amused smile.

"What can I say? We are out of the Skybox!" His feet tapped excitedly on the floor. "You know what that means?" He asked, turning to Jemma with a huge smile on his face, and Jemma peeked up at him curiously. "It means we are going to Earth! Think of the fun! Think of all the adventures!"

At his enthusiasm, Jemma gave a small tentative smile, but when the drop ship gave another hard jolt, she ducked her head again.

Alex gritted her teeth as she crossed her arm, grabbing the straps of her harness as hard as her grip would allow, trying to ignore the way that the room seemed to shrink around her, trying to ignore that she was surrounded by a large metal container that was moving way too fast. That it was going to hit a the atmosphere, was going to explode.

_Okay, deep breaths, Alex, deep breaths._

She needed a distraction.

Opening her mouth to ask Jasper what he had been arrested for, Alex paused when the screens around the drop ship blinked to life, silence settling throughout the ship when Chancellor Jaha appeared on the screen.

_"_ Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now," he began, face a mask of seriousness. "You have been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you will see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. " The Chancellor took a deep breath, "We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable. _"_

A bark of laughter came from somewhere behind her, "You dad is a dick, Wells." Alex frowned. Wells Jaha was on the drop ship? How had he managed that? While her and Wells had never been close friends during school, she had been in nearly all the same classes as him. Before she had a chance to turn and look, Chancellor Jaha continued.

_"_ Those crimes will be forgiven, your records wiped clean," he paused. "The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain three hundred people for up to two years _."_

"How could they know that?" Alex murmured to herself with a frown. When Jasper turned to her with a questioning glance she spoke up. "I just find it unlikely that it's all still there. And even if it's still there it might not be any help."

"Why's that?" He frowned at her.

"Well, these 'non-perishables', " she explained, shaking her head, "were non-perishable nearly a hundred years ago. I mean - what's the chance that any of it is still edible?"

It was extremely unlikely that the food was still usable. She frowned. Not unless they had come up with some pretty remarkable way to preserve food for that amount of time.  But chances were that all the food had gone bad, and there would be nothing for them to eat. They would still have to check it out though. There would hopefully be other supplies that they could use. Glancing around, she took note of the fact that the Ark had sent them down to Earth bare bones. Naturally, they wouldn't have anything to spare for convicts who they believed had only a slim chance of survival at best.

Once they landed, they would have to collect everything they could get their hands on to survive.

A cheer erupted on the other side of the drop ship, interrupting her thoughts. Turning, she shook her head at what she saw. A boy wearing a green toque had unstrapped himself from his harness and was floating through the drop ship, spinning around, and in general, showing off for the crowd around him.

"Whoo! Go, Finn!" Came a cheer from a younger boy nearby. She frowned when he seemed intent on getting out of the harness he was bound in to join the other boy.

Grabbing his elbow, she shook her head at his inquiring gaze. "Sit down. When those parachutes deploy, if you aren't strapped down you are going to kill yourself, and probably someone else," she explained and he looked nervous enough about her explanation that he retightened his bindings, although another boy sitting a couple of seats down from him had released himself from his harness, and began floating around.

_What are those idiots doing?_

"Hey!" She called out, reaching out to grasp the sleeve of the closest guy as he began to floated past her. "Sit down." When he shook his head she sighed in frustration. "I'm serious. You need to sit down. The parachutes are going to deploy any second!"

Clearly unable to see what she was worked up about, he grinned. "No way! This is awesome!" As his feet touched the floor, he pushed off sailing down the row, heading to where the third bow spun around to the cheers of his supporters.

Alex groaned in frustration. Didn't they see the danger they were putting themselves in? "Idiots."

Above them Chancellor Jaha continued his speech, although the screen had begun to flicker, and the sound turn to static with every increasing bump."Mount Weather is life. You must locate those supplies immediate- _"_

There was an extra violent lurch, and the three boy floating around hitting the ceiling with a sickening crunch. A deafening screech filled the air, the sound of metal tearing from metal, Alex and many others clapping their hands over their ears to dampen the sound. Shrieks of fear could barely be heard as people cried out at the sudden change. The screens above them crackled before dying entirely, the interior of the drop ship dropping into turbulent darkness. When the shaking showed no signs of stopping, instead steadily intensifying, Alex clenched her eyes closed. Resting her head on the her back support, she crossed her arms and grabbed onto the harness as tightly as she could, knowing that the parachutes were going to deploy. Hopefully.

_Deep breaths. Deep breaths._

Then with another sudden lurch, that left her feeling  as if she'd left her stomach somewhere down by her feet, the turbulence intensified. The parachutes had deployed. That was a good sign.

The bad sign was that the retro-rockets didn’t immediately fire up afterwards. She could hear the high pitched whirring and clicking of the engines, clearly struggling to turn over and ignite. Her jaw clenched painfully. Even with the parachutes, they were moving way too fast; if they hit the ground at this speed, none of them were going to survive.

"We're going to die!" Jemma screamed out from in front of her.

She heard a change in the pitch of the engines before they roared to life. The retro-rockets had come on.

But it didn’t seem to make a difference - It felt like they were still moving too fast.

The drop ship shook violently. Alex sat, eyes closed tightly, jaw clenched, gripping her harness hard enough that she could barely feel her fingers.

People screamed out in terror around her, some realizing they might be about to die.

There was a sudden jolt.

Then everything stopped.

For a moment, everything was dead silent around her, the sound of her shaky breathing seeming to echo throughout her head. She was tense, shoulders hunched as she waited for the worst to come.

It never did.

Peeling her eyes open, she cringed as she looked around, expecting to see the worst. But instead she found others peering around the dark interior of the drop ship, just as curious and wary as she was. The light must have died at the same time as everything else had gone down.

"Did-did we land?" Came Jemma's meek voice.

"I-I don't really know," Alex mumbled back uncertainly as she looked around, her voice seemingly to echo loudly in the suddenly silent space.

The Asian boy sitting next to Jasper, who last time she’d checked had been unconscious, leaned forward. "Listen, no machine hum."

He was right, it _was_ quiet. Very quiet. For the first time in her life there was no background hum of the Ark's machinery or the life support which kept them alive. No sounds of the ventilation system pumping air throughout every room. No beeps, no electronic sliding doors, no power. Nothing.

Jasper hummed in agreement, cocking his head to one side, before shaking his head in amazement. "Whoa. That- That's got to be a first."

Soon the buzz of whispers begun to fill the air, and Alex could tell that people were beginning to get restless in their confinement.

Reaching down, she grasped the buckle of her harness and pulled up, the two straps separating with a 'click'. Sliding the straps off her shoulders, Alex slowly pushed herself to her feet, patting herself down. Frowning, she noted that someone had put an insulated black jacket on her, as well as mid length brown boots on her feet.

There was a panicked groan from in front of her. "What’re you doing?"

Looking down, Alex found Jemma staring up at her with a panicked expression, hands still twisted into her hair. "I'm going to check everything out," she replied, kneeling down in front of her, gently reaching out and grasping the young girls wrists. She tugged them slowly until Jemma let go of her hair. "There you go." She smiled, placed Jemma's hands in her lap. "How about you stay here while I go check things out, hmm? I'll come back for you if everything's safe. Alright?"

When she received a hesitant nod in response, Alex sent her an encouraging smile and pushed herself to her feet, looking around to take in her surroundings.

Jasper and the Asian boy had also unstrapped themselves from their harnesses and soon a wave of ‘clicks’ filled the air, as other teenagers followed suit. They were slowly beginning to wander around, both curious and wary, as they began checking in with one another.

Through the throngs of people, she saw the ladder leading down to the lower floors and decided that was a good place to figure out what was going on.

Moving forward, she side-stepped teenagers, moving left and right as she headed towards the ladder on the far end of the room. A tuft of blonde hair caught her eye and she frowned when she found Clarke Griffin and Finn leaning over one of the boys who had made the mistake of getting out of his harness a little too early. Making her way towards them, she arrived just as Clarke asked Finn if the downed boy was still breathing. He shook his head negatively in response, glancing down at the body before looking up and noticing Alex standing nearby.

"Hey," he said, pushing himself to his feet, and Clarke turned towards her as he acknowledged her, her eyebrows raising in surprise as her eyes landed on Alex.

"Alex?" Clarke asked hesitantly. "Hey. I- I didn't know you would be on here...I thought you'd..." She trailed off, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Been floated? So I get locked up, and you forget me to the point that you don’t even remember how old I am?" Alex asked a little more harshly than she meant to, eyebrows raised. As Clarke cringed, Alex knew the other girl hadn’t meant anything by it, so she softened her expression and sent her a small smile and a shake of her head. "I had a couple of months left... I guess I was - lucky? Unlucky?” She shrugged. “Depends how I look at it - to be here."

"I guess we've all been given a second chance," Finn said with a shrug, extending a hand towards her. "I'm Finn."

Reaching out she grasped his hand firmly with her own, giving him a nod. "So I’ve heard. I’m Alex. " She turned back to Clarke with a frown, shifting on her feet. "So, what do you think? Think it's going to be survivable?"

Clarke’s lips quirked down slightly in response, with a slight shrug of her shoulders she glanced around the drop ship. She looked nervous. "I-I don’t know. I don’t think we’re safe yet - for all we know the air outside is toxic.”

She had a point, they might have made it all the way to Earth only to die from radiation poisoning the moment they stepped out of the drop ship, if they even made it that far. But that was why the Ark had sent them down to Earth to begin with - they were the trial run.

Alex rolled her shoulders. “I guess there’s only one way to find out."

Clarke shook her head. “Who know what will happen when we open the door. We need to think this through.”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded, “Although if the air is toxic, we might be living on borrowed time anyways. Either way we should probably stop anyone from making the decision for us.”

Finn pointed at the open hatch on the floor, and the ladder that led down to the lower levels of the ship. "The outer door is on the lower level," he said stepping forwards and placing his feet on the first rung. "Let's go," he continued as he started to climb down the steps.

Alex and Clarke shared a glance, and Clarke nodded her head towards the ladder. "You first."

Alex snorted in amusement, rolling her eyes good naturedly. "Is it because I'm expendable?" She asked with a smirk, repeating Jaha’s comment from earlier as she stepped forward and placed both feet on the rung before beginning to climb down.

"What? No- no that's not what I meant." Clarke hurried to assure her.

"Clarke. Relax," Alex replied, popping her head back up to peer at her. "I was teasing. I know you didn't mean that." With that she turned and made her way down into to the level below her, the sounds of chattering voices drifting up to meet her. As her feet touched the ground, she let go of the ladder and turned around, where she was greeted with a room full of teenagers milling about just like the one she’d left. Only this one had a large door at the far end of the room.

Stepping forwards, she moved out of the way so Clarke could finish descending behind her, and when the blonde girl turned around, she nodded her head towards the door. "Let's go."

Pushing her way through the crowd, she led the way to the front, frowning at the sight of some teenagers trying to figure out how to open the door. "That might not be a good idea," Alex hummed to no one in particular, although Clarke seemed to agree with her as she kept moving forwards, a determined expression on her face. Alex stepped toward the door, grabbing the wrist of a guy who was about to pull the lever which would open the hatch to the outside world. "Hey, how about we think about this for a minute, before opening the drop ship to potentially toxic air?" Letting go of his arm she turned towards Clarke who was trying to convince the crowd that opening the door might be a bad idea.

"Look, " she said, sounding frustrated. "We can't just open the doors."

"Hey," another voice barked out from the crowd, and a guy in a guard uniform stepped out from the group of teenagers that had formed. He held his hand out, keeping the group around him from crowding towards the door. "Just back it up, guys." His voice was serious, his tone carrying a degree of authority, and she knew he expected to be obeyed.

_A guard?_ Alex frowned suspiciously as she watch him step forwards. _The Ark sent a guard down here with us? Why would they do that? They can’t have expected one guard to be able to keep track of a hundred delinquents._

He was tall, taller than her anyways, with black hair which was neatly slicked back, and dark eyes that seemed to study them each in turn. She could tell he was fit, his build lean and muscular as he stepped towards them, the guard outfit fitting him well. He held himself with confidence, and as he turned towards Clarke, Alex stepped forward, standing behind Clarke in silent support. The guard’s eyes flickered up to her, easily dismissing her before looking back at Clarke.

"Stop, the air could be toxic," Clarke said, almost pleaded, trying to explain the consequences of opening the door.

He shook his head in response, turning back towards the lever. "If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyways."

"I agree with Clarke," Alex stated, stepping forwards, and the dark haired guard turned to her. "Don't you think maybe it's worth taking an extra second to think this through?"  She tried to reason with him, waving a hand towards the door. "I mean - if you open that door, we might all be dead in the next two minutes." At her comment, there was a wave of murmuring in the crowd around them.

He shook his head, taking a breath to respond, but before he could say anything, someone called out from the back of the crowd. "Bellamy?" His words died on his lips as he looked up towards the source of the voice, his face going slack in shock.

With a small frown Alex turned to the voice, wondering who could have that effect on him, and found a girl around her age paused at the base of the ladder, staring at the guard with an identical look of shock. The younger girl seemed to snap out of it, and lowered herself the rest of the way before going through the crowd, and coming up to the front, only stopping when she was standing in front of 'Bellamy'.

The younger girl was slightly shorter than Alex, with a face framed by beautiful long, straight brown hair. Hazel eyes stared up at Bellamy in surprise, mouth moving as if she did not know what to say.

Bellamy seemed to snap out of it first, and the soft smile that grew on his face as he stared down at the younger girl took Alex by surprise. She wondered if they were lovers, although he seemed too old for her. "My God," he said, "Look how big you are."

_That's a weird thing to say to your lover...maybe old friends?_

He barely finished saying it before the younger girl threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly. He returned the hug with equal fervor, before they pulled away to study each other. The girl glanced over his clothes briefly before a frown crossed her features as she tugged his sleeve.

"What the hell are you wearing? A guards uniform?" The girl demanded, and Bellamy seemed momentarily at a loss for words.

"I borrowed it...to get on the drop ship," he explained quickly, glancing down at himself, before meeting her gaze with an amused smirk. "Someone's got to keep an eye on you." The girl rolled her eyes, and hugged him again, making him chuckle.

_Borrowed...right. So he’s not a guard then..._

"Where's your wristband?" Clarke demanded out of the blue, and Alex turned to find her studying the pair before them with a suspicious frown. The two separated and the girl turned to Clarke with a frown.

"Do you mind?" The girl nearly sneered, "I haven't seen my brother in a year."

_No way...her brother?_ Alex turned to stare at the two in disbelief. _But...I thought..._

"No one has a brother!" Called someone from the crowd.

"That's Octavia Blake!" A girl called out from the back, "The girl they found hidden in the floor."

There was a momentary silence, before a flash of rage crossed Octavia's face, and she attempted to throw herself at the girl.

"Octavia!" Bellamy grabbed hold of her, preventing her from her attack. "Octavia, no!" He grabbed her shoulders turning her back towards him. "Let's give them something else to remember you by," he said soothingly, trying to placate her anger.

Octavia shrugged him off angrily. "Yeah? Like what?" She demanded.

"Like being the first person on the ground," Bellamy said with a smile, "...in a hundred years."

The thought seemed to bring a halt to Octavia's rage, a smile slowly growing on her face at the thought of being the first person on the ground.

_Or the first one dead,_ Alex cringed at the thought, watching as the brother-sister pair held hands and turned towards the lever by the door. _Oh God, what if the air is poison? This might actually be my execution._

Bellamy glanced back at his sister once more, before turning to the lever and giving the handle a solid, firm pull.

_Oh God._

The first thing she felt was the distinct pressure change as her ears popped, then a brilliant bright light filled the drop ship, forcing her to raise a hand to cover her eyes; wind whipping her long blonde hair around her head.

Everything stopped.

For a moment there was dead silent, and when nothing terrible began to happen, Alex peeked out from behind her hand, squinting at the blinding light and waiting for her eyes to adjust.

When they did, Alex felt all the air rush out of her lungs at the sight before her.

"Holy shit," were the first words she breathed out.

Everything was _so_ _green._ Nothing could have prepared her for what she was seeing, not even the trees in the book she studied at school. They were so different from anything she ever dreamed they could be. She’d always pictured trees looking the same, every branch and leaf looking identical to the next, but these trees were anything but: some standing tall and straight, looking nearly identical to the one next to it, while others looked drastically different, each with its own unique characteristics.

Glancing up, her mouth dropped in astonishment at how high the trees seemed to go. Was it possible that a tree stood so tall it touched the clouds? She unconsciously flexed her fingers, a sudden itch in her brain making her was to find out. She wanted to climb one of them, wanted to see how high she could get. What would the bark feel like under her fingertips? The branches? The leafs?

Was it even possible to climb one of them? Some looked so skinny that she could wrap her arms right around them. Were they covered in moss? She was sure that it should be growing on some of the trees. That is, is the books she’d read were correct.

The ground beneath the trees was a carpet of green: was _that_ moss? The colour was deeper, darker than the shades of green on the trees. She couldn’t believe how many shades existed in just _one area._ Were other locations different - would they have more colours? She desperately hoped so. Even now, trying to match all the shades of green to the names that she had learned on colour wheels on the Ark, she realized there was so much more.

Eyes rising beyond the trees, she was at a loss for words. The sky. A great canvas of blue, unlike anything she had ever seen before, spread out in every direction, as far as the trees allowed her to see. It was so deep, so clear, so different from outer space.

_It’s beautiful..._

The colours that she had been exposed to on the Ark paled in comparison to the depth and beauty of the colours around them.

_And the air_. Alex inhaled deeply, the amazing feel of real fresh air filling her lungs, and leaving her breathless all in the same go. It smelt sweet; _tasted_ sweet. She'd never noticed it until now, taking her first breaths of Earth's air, that the air on the Ark was stale. It had been reused and recycled over and over, the treatment stripping it of all scents and moisture. The air on Earth...it was the exact opposite. It was incredible.

A movement caught her eye, and she turned to see Octavia take a few brave steps forward, pausing once to inhale deeply, before continuing to the edge of the ramp, where she hesitated. Alex could see her body tense before she lightly hopped down onto the seemingly soft ground below.

"We're back, bitches!" Octavia screamed to the sky, throwing her hands above her head in celebration, and with a cheers the rest of the delinquents followed.

Alex looked down at the celebration, a smile tugging at her lips.

_This is it...I'm free._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and let me know what you thought! Review = love!
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!

Chapter Three

After checking out the area around the dropship, and marveling at the sights, sounds and textures that she'd never even dreamed she would experience in her lifetime, Alex began to feel overwhelmed, her mind overloaded by her senses. Everywhere she looked there was something new to be seen, something new to be explored. When her head gave the first twinge of a headache, she decided she would go get Jemma, while give her mind a break.

Climbing the ramp, she took a deep breath and entered the dim interior of the dropship, momentarily startled to see how spacious it was now that there were a hundred fewer occupants loitering around. Shaking her head, she wove around the ships few occupants, those who perhaps weren't brave enough to venture outside, and hoisted herself up the ladder.

Arriving back at the spot she'd left Jemma, she frowned down at her empty seat before looking around the interior. "Jemma?" She inquired.

"Over here!" Came the immediate reply from the other side of the room. Making her way towards Jemma's voice, Alex found her sitting behind some of seats that had been laid out for the delinquents, and realized that that was why she hadn't been able to see the younger girl when she’d first come up.

Alex's eyebrows rose in surprise when she found Jemma talking to another young girl who looked nearly the same age. Her blonde hair was twisted back along her head in two plaits. Her face was scrunched up into an expression of barely concealed nervousness, arms around her knees and hands clasped tightly in front of her. Slowly crouching down in front of the two, Alex gave them a warm smile. "And who's this?"

"This is Charlotte," Jemma instantly replied, reaching out to pat the other girl on the shoulder, before leaning over to Alex, and waving her forward. Alex leaned towards her curiously, feeling surprised at Jemma’s suddenly chatty personality. "I think she's scared," Jemma stage-whispered to her. "I've been trying to help her, like you helped me," She continued proudly.

"That's very nice of you, Jemma." Alex sent her a smile before turning and sitting cross-legged in front of Charlotte. Leaning down she tried to catch the younger girl’s eye. "Hello, Charlotte. I'm Alex."

"Hello." Was the quiet mumble she got in response.

"Jemma here tells me that you're nervous," Alex told her, and Jemma shot her a small dirty look at being ratted out. "Want to tell me what you're nervous about?" She asked her gently, and when all she received was a hesitant glance, she continued. "Hmm, can I tell you a secret? Both of you?" At this both Jemma and Charlotte perked up a bit, and she leaned forward motioning for them to do that same. "I was scared too...in fact, I still am."

"You are?" Charlotte asked hesitantly, leaning forwards. Jemma looked just as intrigued.

Alex nodded her head seriously, "Of course."

"What are you afraid of?" Jemma whispered to her.

Alex gave them both small smiles. "A lot of things. There are lots of thing we don’t know about...we don’t know what’s going to happen. But one of the things I'm most afraid of are tiny, small spaces." She told them with a small grimace.

Charlotte looked perplexed, glancing around them. "This...isn't this a small space?"

Alex nodded in response. "Yeah, it is."

"But...you don’t look afraid?" Charlotte looked perplexed.

Alex gave her a patient smile. "To tell you the truth, I most definitely am."

"You don't look afraid," Jemma repeated, studying her closely, like she was looking for some clue that would give away Alex’s fear. "You're not acting afraid."

"That's the thing. I have a fear, but I try to not let it control me," Alex explained, looking around the dropship, and trying to ignore the way the walls seemed to want to shrink in on her. "I'm scared. But I don't let that fear rule my life. You see...fear is good, its healthy." At their dubious glances she continued with a small smile. "It exists for a reason, usually it keeps us from getting hurt. But some fears can be unreasonable, they can try to control your life, and when those fears appear... you acknowledge them, but you push them away."

"How do you know which fears are good and which are bad?" Jemma asked, staring up at her.

"Sometimes it's hard, "Alex admitted with a shrug. "You just have to be smart and take a moment to think it through. Are you in danger? Are you going to get hurt? If the answer is 'no' and you're still scared, than that is probably a bad fear."

Both younger girls looked thoughtful for a second; Charlotte looking more relaxed than she had been earlier. When Alex pushed herself to her feet they looked up at her. Holding a hand out to each of them she gave them a smile. "So, you guys want to go confront your fears with me?" Both girls shared a smile and reached up and grabbed one of her hands each. Leaning back a bit, Alex hoisted them up. "Whew," she teased, rubbing her hand along her forehead to wipe away non-existent sweat.  "You guys are heavy."

As Jemma opened her mouth, looking indignant, she gave them a wink. "Just teasing!" Jemma rolled her eyes at her before hooking her arm through Charlotte's and leading the slightly less hesitant blonde towards the ladder.

Alex was the first to go down, the two other girls following slowly, and a little wary behind her. Once they reached the bottom she grabbed each girls’ hand.

"Close your eyes," She told them, keeping them facing away from the open door.

"But!" Jemma began to protest and Charlotte looked a little worried.

"Hey, hey," Alex said, shaking they hands a little, and leaning down to their level. "Think of this as confronting your fears of the unknown. Do you guys trust me?"

Jemma's mouth snapped closed and she nodded her head vigorously in response, Charlotte's nod was a little more hesitant.

Alex squeezed each of their hands comfortingly. "Trust me on this, I think you'll like it." She smiled, "Plus, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright?"

When each of the girls closed their eyes, she told them, "No peeking!" then proceeded to guide them towards the entrance of the drop ship. "Eyes still closed! Okay, there is a little step there, that's it! A little bit of a slope. Okay, step down slowly, the ground is going to feel kind of soft. There you go!"

When she had them both firmly on the forest floor, facing away from the drop ship she gently squeezed their hands. "Okay! You can open your eyes now!"

"Whoa!"

The sounds and exclamations of amazement brought a smile to Alex's face, and she knew at that moment that being sent to Earth had been worth it.

* * *

After watching the two younger girls for a bit, she noticed Clarke leaning on the ramp of the drop ship, studying something, so she decided to go see what was going on. Telling the two girls to not wander too far, she headed over, weaving through the mass of teenagers joking and running around.

As she approached she noted that Clarke seemed agitated, not nearly as happy as the rest of the group around them.

"Hey," Alex said as she approached, hands in her jacket pockets,  glancing down at the paper Clarke was looking at, finding it to be a map - was it a map of the area? "What's up?"

"They dropped us on the wrong freaking mountain." Clarke grumbled, not even looking up from the map.

Alex blinked. "What?"

"See here?" Clarke said, motioning her over and pointing down at the map, which was resting on the edge of the ramp. Alex leaned forwards to see and nodded. "That- That is Mount Weather."

"And I'm going to take it that's not where _we_ are?" Alex asked dryly, studying the map.

"We're nearly twenty miles from where we _should_ have landed." Clarke explained, pointing to a totally different part of the map. "That's what I can gather anyways. I- I won't be sure until we find some better landmarks...a creek or something that we can use to pinpoint everything."

Alex glanced at Clarke, hoisting herself up onto the until she was sitting on the ramp, one leg folded beneath her, the other dangling over the edge. "Think we should put together an expedition team or something?" She inquired, wondering what Clarke had planned. “If everyone keeps running around like this we're going to be running on fumes sooner than later." She nodded her head to some of the boys who ran by. "We're gonna need those supplies soon."

Clarke sent her a look of relief. "Thank you! Finally, someone who gets it."

At that moment, Wells came out of the drop ship and headed over to them. "We got problems." He said.

Alex noted the way Clarke tensed as he approached and wondered what had happened between them. Last she'd seen, they'd been really close friends, nearly inseparable on the Ark. Alex sighed, returning to studying the map, tracing a couple of the marked creeks which could be closest to them. "I honestly think we have more than one."

He shot her an unimpressed look before continuing, "The communication system is dead. I went to the roof. A dozen of the panels are missing. Heat fried the wires."

"Great," Alex said. "Although, I don't think communication with the Ark is going to be our most pressing issue at the moment," she said, earning herself a puzzled look from Wells. Alex nodded her head to Clarke, who sighed.

"All that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather. We're miles away, and we're going to need to get there to survive." Clarke stated pointedly, not looking up at Wells at all.

"Cool, a map!" Came a voice from behind them, and everyone glanced over to find a young man with goggles perched on her head peering over their shoulders.

"Captain Jasper," Alex said in greeting, nodding her head at the boy. He sent her a small smirk before turning  to Clarke with a more flirty smile.

"They got a bar in this town?" Jasper asked her, and Alex had to roll her eyes. Was he trying to flirt with Clarke? "I'll buy you a beer."

Although everything Jasper had said had been in good humour, Wells didn't seem to appreciate it scowling and grabbing the skinnier boy by the arm, shoving him away. "You mind?"

Alex raised her eyebrows, surprised at the over-the-top response.

Before she could say anything a voice came from nearby. "Hey, hey, hey!" She turned to find a group of young guys coming towards them. "Hands off of him," the mousy looking guy who stood at the front said. "He's with us."

Seeming to realize that he was outnumbered, Wells relented a bit, placing his hands up in a surrendering motion. "Relax," he said soothingly. "We're just trying to figure out where we are."

"We're on the ground," another voice called over. Alex frowned when she turned and found Bellamy Blake standing not very far away, his sister at his side. "That not good enough for you?" He demanded.

_Why is this starting to feel like it's getting out of hand?_ She thought as Wells turned to Blake, starting to walk towards him. When her and Clarke shared a worried glance they moved to follow, Alex hopping down from her perch. "We need to try and get to Mount Weather," Wells tried reasoning, "You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."

"Screw your father." Octavia spat from where she stood next to her brother. At Wells shocked look she continued, "What? You think you're in charge here? You and the two air-head bitches behind you?" She sneered, nodding her head at both Clarke and Alex.

Alex's jaw dropped at the insult, wondering why she’d been dragged into the entire argument. Scoffing a laugh, she shot Octavia an unimpressed stare. "Excuse me?" She laughed. "Although, wait, never mind, coming from a girl who _didn't even exist_ until a year ago, it doesn't really mean much."

Bellamy glared down at her. "Hey, watch your mouth,” he spat, “That's _my_ sister."

"It's funny, Blake," Alex scoffed, glaring back up at him. "You're saying that like it actually _means_ something."

Before either of them could say anything else, Alex felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her away. "Alex." Clarke said soothingly, before turning back to the rest of the group that had gathered around, "Do you think we care who's in charge?" She asked, looking around. "We need to get to Mount Weather not because the Chancellor said to, but because the longer we wait the hungrier we'll get and the harder this'll be, " as she spoke, Octavia had the decency to look mildly ashamed. "How long do you think we'll last without those supplies?" She inquired as she continued. "We're looking at a twenty-mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave...now."

"I've got a better idea," Bellamy told them. "You guys go...find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change." At his suggesting, a few of those gathered around shouted their agreements.

Alex gritted her teeth, this guy’s arrogant ‘I’m-better-than-you attitude’ was really starting to grate on her nerves. Why didn’t he seem to get the fact that, if they didn’t get food, they were going to all die of starvation?

Alex rolled her eyes. "Are you serious?" She asked him. " _Everyone_  here is going to need food sooner than later. And you're stupider than you look if you think a couple of us are going to be able to bring back enough food for _one-hundred people._ If we all want to survive this, we need to do as Clarke says and _all_ go get supplies."

"I don't remember anyone asking for your opinion," Bellamy spat down at her, stepping forwards and getting in her face. "Who the hell are you anyways?"

A guy from the crowd stepped up, whispering something in Blake's ear.

Bellamy looked momentarily taken aback at whatever he’d heard, staring down at her like he’d never seen her before - like she was a new threat. "You… you're Alex Evans?" He stated in disbelief, before scoffing. “Thought you were a guy." His gaze roamed over her body, sizing her up and he made a noise of disgust, meeting her glare. “Can’t picture you murdering one person, let alone three.”

As Bellamy studied her, Alex met his gaze squarely, trying to ignore the whispers that spread through the crowd around them. Jaw clenched, she refused to flinch as people around her began murmuring about her being a murderer, or squirm under the distrusting stares settling on her back. Swallowing her nervousness, she tried to ignore it all, momentarily wishing she was still lock backed up in her cell in the Sky box.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she was about to speak up when Wells stepped up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. She looked at him in surprise. "You're not listening. We all need to go," he said.

He was abruptly shoved to the side by the mousy looking guy from earlier. "Look at this, everyone... The Chancellor of Earth," he mocked. "Already giving orders and forgiving murderers."

Alex glared at him darkly.

Wells recovered quickly, whirling around to meet the other guy. "You think this is funny?" Wells demanded.

The other boy moved quickly, kicking out a leg striking Wells in the ankle, causing him to fall backwards with a yelp. "No, but that was." the other boy snickered.

"Wells!" Clarke cried out, trying to leap forwards in his defense, but she was quickly held back by another guy.

"Go, Murphy!" One of Murphy's groupies cheered.

Alex frowned, about to step forwards to help Wells when he pushed himself to his feet, although it was quickly apparent that his ankle had been injured by Murphy's hit.

Murphy looked mockingly impressed as Wells put his fists up to fight, nodding his head in acknowledgement. "All right." He feigned left and right a few times, laughing every time Wells winced when he put down his foot. Alex gritted her teeth. She was hating this jerk more and more by the second. Murphy looked like he was about to launch another attack, when a shadow flew over Alex's head. Someone had jumped over her from the ledge above, and had landed right in the middle of the fight.

It was Finn. And he was coolly staring down Murphy, who looked startled at his abrupt entrance.

"Kid's got one leg," Finn said to Murphy casually, head tilted to the side. "How about you wait until it's a fair fight?"

"Hey, Spacewalker!" Octavia called out, walking by. Alex had to roll her eyes at the stupidly flirtatious look she had on her face as she approached Finn. "Rescue me next time," she continued suggestively. Finn turned to her with a smile of his own.

Alex wanted to gag."Is she serious? Gross."  She was clearly not the only one unimpressed by the display, as Clarke marched by her, disgusted look on her face. "Hey, you need help?" Jogging to catch up with the other blonde, passing by Bellamy and Octavia as they left, Bellamy shooting her a dark glare as he walked the other way to join his sister. Clarke gave her a single nod in reply.

"What? He's cute." She heard Octavia say before she was out of hearing range.

* * *

Alex followed behind Clarke, heading back in the direction of the map when she felt her shoelace  begin to loosen, her ankle sliding around inside her boot. Her sock slowly slipped down her ankle, bunching up underneath her foot.

With a sigh she knelt down, fully undoing the laces with the intention of pulling up her sock, but as she tugged it back up, she felt something hard slide down to the inside of her boot. _What the hell is that?_ Aggravated, she further loosened her laces, sliding her hand down the side of her boot, wondering when something had had the time to get in there. When her finger brushed something hard and cold, she reached down and tugged it, pulling it up the side of her boot.

Opening her hand, she stared down at the object in horror, feeling her breath hitch in her throat.

Sitting in her hand was a metal switch blade, no longer than the length of her palm, the blade safely tucked away into its metal sheath. Even though it weighed almost nothing, it sat heavily in her hand, the metal which should have felt cool against her skin, burned fiercely as if someone had stuck her palm onto white hot surface.

Bile burnt the back of her throat, and she had to swallow heavily several times to not throw up the contents of her already empty stomach into the nearby foliage.

Tears stung the corner her eyes as she stared down at the blade.

She recognized it. She’d held it before, a long time ago - it had been clenched tightly in her shaking hands, sticky warm blood running in rivulets over her fingers as she’d fought for her life.

She recognized the blade - it had ruined her life.

_How could it be here? Who had given it to her? Why had they given it to her?_

Hastily stuffing the blade back into the side of her boot, she stared blankly at the pine needle covered ground in front of her, wondering what she should do about it. Throw it away? No, that would be stupid. She was living with a group of delinquent teenagers, it might come in handy someday. But _could_ she keep it? The blade that had spun her life on its axis, resulting in her incarceration?

Shaking her head, she pushed herself unsteadily to her feet, hoping no one had noticed her slight breakdown. She needed time - time to think, to figure out who had given it to her and why.

_Later, you can do it later. You have other things to do right now._

Running a hand through her hair, she hurried after Clarke, trying to ignore the heavy weight in her boot.

Clenching her hands tightly, she tried to ignore the way her hands shook.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!  
> A big thanks to my beta Dannylionthe1st on FFN! Couldn't do this without you!

Chapter Four

Clarke was crouching on the ground in front of where Wells leaned against a log, rotating his ankle back and forth in an effort to determine what was wrong with it.

"Is it broken?" Wells asked, wincing as she rotated it a few times more.

Clarke shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Maybe sprained. You'll have to keep it easy for a few days, just in case." Clarke told him simply, and turned away, heading over to Finn who was walking in their direction. Wells stared after her sadly, and Alex once again wondered what had happened between them.

"Hey," Alex said, crouching down next to him, resting her elbows on her knees, feeling unable to meet his eyes. Wells sent her an inquiring look, and she gave him an unsure smile, before looking away again. "I just - I just wanted to say thanks...for sticking up for me earlier. You didn't have to," she told him.

"It was no problem," he replied, grimacing in discomfort as he adjusted his foot.

"Still… thanks. I feel like this, " she nodded to his ankle, "wouldn't of happened if you hadn't stood up for me."

"Hey, Alex. I'm serious," he told her, reaching out and grabbing her shoulder, turning her to face him. "I would do it again. If this," he gave her a sincere smile and motioned to the forest around them, "if this isn't a second chance… then I don't know what is."

Alex sent him a grateful smile and stood up, holding a hand out to help Wells to his feet. She helped him over to where Clarke and Finn were talking about the supplies.

"So, uh, Mount Weather. When do we leave?" Finn asked Clarke as they arrived, giving them a small nod of acknowledgment.

"Right now," Clarke said, turning to Wells. "We'll be back tomorrow with food."

"How are the three of you gonna carry enough food for a hundred?" Wells asked her with a frown. Clarke looked like she wanted to argue with Wells just because it was him who brought it up.

"It's a fair point," Alex told her. "Even all three of us carrying as much as we physically can I doubt it would be enough to feed us all."

Finn looked thoughtful for a moment before he turned around and grabbed Jasper and Monty by the necks, both boys cringing as they were dragged back to the rest of them. "There! Now there's five of us. Can we go now?"

"Sounds like a party!" Octavia called out as she walked up to them. "Make it six!" Clarke and Alex shared a mutual scowl of dislike for the other girl, rolling their eyes as Octavia batted her eyelashes at Finn.

Alex caught Jasper turn to Monty with an excited look on his face. _Uh oh, someone has a crush._

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Bellamy said, catching up with Octavia and grabbing her shoulder.

"I'm going for a walk," Octavia told him.

Alex rolled her eyes in disgust. "Oh God, please...No more family drama," she moaned to the sky.

"Shut up, Evans," Bellamy spat at her, barely sparing her a glance.

"Make me, Blake," she told him, with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey," Clarke said, abruptly grabbing Finns wrist, starling everyone. "Were you trying to take this off?" She asked him as she checked out his wristband. Alex could see the scuff marks along the side and wondered _why_ he'd been trying to take it off.

He shrugged casually, clearly not seeing what she was so worked up about. "Yeah...So?"

"So," she replied pointedly, staring at him like he was an idiot, "this wristband transmits your vital signs to the Ark. Take it off, and they'll think you're dead.”

Clearly Finn was missing the point, as he stared back at her blankly. "Should I care?"

"So, you don't have anyone you care about or cares about _you_ for that matter, on the Ark?" Alex asked him with a frown.

"Yeah, of course I do," Finn replied, sounding offended.

"Well, this wristband," Clarke said, holding up his wrist, "is the only thing telling them that you are still alive. Don't you want them to come down in a couple of months?" She asked him. "Because they won't if they see that we are dropping like flies."

"Okay! I get it!" Finn replied, pulling his wrist away from her. "Can we go now?"

Clarke nodded. "Yeah, let's go." As she and the rest of the group started to walk away, Clarke noticed that Alex wasn't following and turned back. "Alex? You coming?"

Stepping past Bellamy, she made her way to Clarke. "Nah, I think I'm going to stay," she replied. "I have a feeling that Wells is going to need someone watching his back if he is going to be sitting around here." She nodded towards where Murphy and the rest of his gang were causing a ruckus. "I don't trust them, or Blake, for that matter.  I'll keep an eye open at this end and let you know how things go when you get back. Plus, I think there is plenty to do around here. We need water too, don't we?" she asked rhetorically.

Clarke nodded, frowning briefly over where Wells was sitting on a log before turning back to her. "Thanks."

Alex reached out and touched Clarke's arm before she turned away. "Be careful out there, will you? We don't know that's out there."

Clarke gave her a nod. "You too, keep your head up. I don't trust most of this group."

"Me neither," Alex noticed the rest of the expedition group waiting, and nodded towards them, "You'd better get going. They're getting impatient."

\--------------------------------------------------------

As she accompanied Wells back to the drop ship, she kept an eye out for Jemma and Charlotte, wondering where they'd run off to. When she couldn't see any sign of them anywhere outside, she stopped in front of the ramp with a frown. _Must be inside_.

"Wells," Alex said turning to him. "How about you sit down for a bit and rest your ankle? I'm just going to head inside and see if I can find Jemma and Charlotte."

He looked puzzled. "Jemma and Charlotte?"

"Two young girls I met when we first landed." She shrugged. "You'll meet them sooner or later. I'll be back in a minute." She walked up the ramp, steeling her resolve momentarily at the door  before she walked in.

Blinking a couple of times at the abrupt change in lighting, she paused just inside the door, waiting for her eyes adjust to the darkness.

"Alex!!" Came two excited squeals, as something heavy collided with her chest, with an “Oomph”. Looking down, Alex smiled when she found Jemma and Charlotte smiling up at her, both with arms wrapped around her middle.

"Hey girls, what kind of trouble have you been getting up to?" She asked, patting each of them on the head.

"We didn't get into any trouble!" Jemma replied, leaning around Alex to look at her slightly older friend. "Did we, Charlotte?" The seemingly shier of the two shook her head hesitantly in response, a small, tentative smile on her face.

Alex snorted. "See that? That right there?" She asked motioning between the two younger girls. "That is why I don't believe you." She shook her head in amusement. "So what _have_ you been up to?"

"Oh!" Jemma said, grabbing Alex's hand and dragging her towards the back of the drop ship, Charlotte following, her hand in Alex's other one. "We met a nice girl, her name's Harper, she did our hair for us, see?" Jemma rambled out, twirling around and showing her hair which had been pulled back twisted into braids along the sides of their heads.

"Wow," Alex said, running her hands along each of the girls heads. "She did a really good job, your hair looks really pretty, _and_ it will keep it out of the way. I like it."

Both girls beamed at the praise, then pulled her to the back of the ship where a honey-toned haired girl, a few years older than both Charlotte and Jemma, sat braiding another girl’s hair.

"Hey," Alex said to them as they arrived to the two other girls. She tried to ignore the way they both tensed up at the sight of her, and put a hopefully reassuring smile on her face.  "You must be Harper," she motioned to Charlotte and Jemma. "Thanks for doing their hair. It's going to make it much easier to keep it out of the way now."

Harper gave her a tentative smile. "It's no problem."

"Are you done?" Interrupted the brown haired girl sitting between Harpers knees, who was currently getting her hair braided.

"Oh, yeah, here just let me tie it off for you," Harper said, and quickly tied a thin piece of twine around the girls braids. As soon as she had finished, the girl hurriedly pushed herself to her feet and stormed out the

"That was Roma,"  Harper said almost apologetically. "She's normally pretty nice."

"Don't worry about it." Alex shrugged. "I get the feeling she doesn't like me." She glanced back towards the drop ships opened doors contemplatively before turning back to Harper. "Anyways, I have a favour to ask you."

Harper hesitated, looking wary at what her request might be. "Yes?"

Alex looked amused at her hesitance. "Don't worry, nothing bad. I just needed someone to watch after these two troublemakers while I'm out looking for supplies," she told her, nodding her head to where Jemma and Charlotte where both chatting. Although from the looks of it, it was mostly Jemma chatting away, throwing out exaggerated hand motions and gestures while Charlotte listened quietly, only contributing when Jemma asked her a direct question.

Harper's shoulders sagged in relief as she pushed herself to her feet. "I can definitely do that."

"Thanks," Alex replied, "I really appreciate it." She turned towards the younger duo, "Hey, you two! Harper is going to watch you guys until I get back."

"Okay!" Came Jemma's quick response before she dove right back into her story.

Alex rolled her eyes and glanced back at Harper's amused expression. "Thanks again, I shouldn't be gone too long." Turning, she headed back out the drop ship doors, frowning when she didn’t find Wells where she’d left him. Looking around, she scanned the group of teenagers scattered around the site.

“And here I thought that killers didn’t have a heart.” Came a voice from her right, and she turned to find Blake standing not too far away. Rolling her eyes she turned to walk past, intending on ignoring the guy before he got on her nerves.

“Oh, come on, Evans,” he continued, stepping in her way and forcing her to stop, giving her a small smirk. “Don’t be like that.”

Rolling her eyes, she gave a small exasperated sigh, staring up at him.  He was quite a bit taller than her. “Be like what, Blake?” She shook her head. “Look, it doesn’t matter. I have things to do.” She attempted to brush past him, but he matched her sidestep. She gave him an unimpressed stare. “What?”

With a smirk he leaned down towards her, his face stopping only inches away from her own as dark eyes roamed her face. Suddenly nervous at his proximity, she shifted slightly on her feet, knowing that he was trying to make her uncomfortable. When his eyes flickered down briefly to her lips, she swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling uncomfortably dry, although she managed to keep her gaze steady on his own.

He was good looking, she'd give him that much. And he knew it too. Dark hair, deep brown eyes framed by dark lashes. From this distance, she could see the smattering of freckles that spread across his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose. Dark brown hair, which had been slicked back when they landed, was slowly coming loose.

From the smirk that slowly crossed his face as he stared down at her pensively, he knew the effect he had.

“You know,” he breathed. “You can do so much better than Wells.”

She blinked. “What?”

“You know what I mean. You guys seem pretty cozy together,” he said, nodding over to where Wells was now sitting. He thought her and Wells were together?

She hummed. “Or maybe he’s just one of the few people I can stand being around down here?” She asked in reply giving him a pointed look.

He gave her an unamused stare in reply. “Very funny.”

“Just making an observation. Besides, what makes you think you’re any better than Wells?”

His smirk grew in response. “Oh Evans. I _know_ I’m better than Wells.” His eyebrows flickered up suggestively, innuendo practically dripping from his words.

“Good for you,” she retorted, patting him lightly on the shoulder. “And as much as I’d _love_ to find out, I honestly have better things to do, like…well, like pretty much anything else. So if you’ll excuse me.” Stepping around him for a third and final time, she walked away from him and headed over to Wells, feeling the weight of Blake’s gaze on her back as she walked.

"Come on," Alex told Wells when she arrived. "We should probably start gathering wood for fire tonight, or people aren't going to be happy when everything turns pitch black.” She looked up through the tree tops above her, the sun still high above them. "And water - I saw on Clarke’s map that there’s a creek not too far from here. We should check it out before it gets dark.”

Wells nodded in agreement, pushing himself to his feet with a small wince.

Alex frowned at his clear attempt at hiding his discomfort.

 _Maybe it would be better if we stayed around camp._ While he had been managing for the most part to keep a straight face, she knew his ankle was hurting him from the way he was bracing himself, careful to not fully put his weight on his foot. "You going to be okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Wells replied pointedly before beginning to hobble away.

Alex shrugged and followed.

\----------------------------------------------------

The creek turned out to be a bust. The area was bone dry and looked like it hadn’t seen a drop of water in a while. At their failed attempt at finding water, they decided it would probably be easier, especially for Wells, if they stayed near camp and collected firewood, which there appeared to be an abundance of.

It was after their third trip back to the drop ship, their arms laden with branches, that someone stopped them.

"Found any water yet?" They demanded from behind them.

Alex dumped her armful of branches into the pile the her and Wells had been building, before turning to see who had decided to bother them, finding herself not entirely surprised to see Murphy standing not too far away, insufferable smirk pasted on his face, hands in his pockets, one of his lackeys at his side.

Wiping her hands on her pants, she brushed some of the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear, and wondered how this was going to play out.

She was mildly impressed when Wells managed to keep his cool as he turned to them. "No, we didn't. But we're going back out, if you want to come?" Although Alex could tell it was a polite question, she knew Wells desperately wanted Murphy to say no. Murphy said nothing in response, just smirked and nodded his head towards the drop ship, looking incredibly smug.

Glancing over her shoulder, Alex couldn't stop the snort of laughter that escaped her.

On the side of the dropship, someone, probably Murphy, had carved the words "FIRST SON FIRST TO DYE" on the side.

At her response, Murphy scowled, it was clearly not the response he'd been looking for. "Something funny, Evans?"

Alex put a hand up, still trying to wipe the smile off her face. "I’m sorry!" She giggled. "I know it's supposed to be threatening and all, but seriously?" She asked incredulously, waving a hand towards the threat, "You spelt die wrong? I mean, how is that even possible? It's a fucking three letter word!" She couldn’t stop the laughter that escaped her this time, and had to grab her stomach. "Oh God," she moaned, trying to wipe the tears of laughter from her eyes, and shook her head, "Honestly," she said, looking at the fuming Murphy. "Thank you. I think you just made my day!"

Although not nearly as amused as she was, Wells couldn't stop the small smile that crossed his face, lips twitching and he tried his best to hide it.

"You think you're so funny, Evans?" Murphy demanded, stepping forwards threateningly. Alex took note of the knife he now had in hand.

Her smile dropped a bit, although she still looked amused. She shook her head, "Me?" She asked,  pointing at herself.  "I don't think I'm that funny. But honestly, I find _you_ hilarious."

Murphy took another threatening step forward, this time towards Wells, and Alex felt herself tense up, feeling suddenly nervous that he might try and to attack Wells. She noted that Wells had discreetly picked up a thick stick from the pile. Reaching down, she tugged her switchblade from her boot, holding it lightly in hand.

"You know. My father, he begged for mercy in the airlock chamber when _your_ father floated him," he told Wells, who shifted uncomfortably at the statement.

Alex stepped up to Wells shoulder, offering him support. "Like everybody here, your father knew the consequences of his actions. If he didn't want to get floated, he shouldn't have done the crime," she told Murphy firmly, who glared at her venomously in response.

"Mind your own business, Evans," he spat at her, clenching and unclenching the knife he had in hand almost spastically, and she briefly wondered if he was imagining gutting her. And knowing him, he probably was.

"You should mind you own," she replied, holding her ground. "It sounds to me like your issue is with Chancellor Jaha." She looked around pensively, before turning back to him mockingly. "And guess who isn't here, Murphy. Chancellor Jaha." She stepped towards him until they were nearly chest to chest, and glared up at him. "You don't scare me, Murphy," she told him bluntly. "So, since I have Wells’ back, I _highly_ suggest you go sort out your personal shit elsewhere."

Murphy didn't seem to know if he should back down, or stab her then and there.

When he didn’t do anything, Alex didn’t look away from him and called over her shoulder. "Come on Wells, we've got some more firewood to collect." Shooting Murphy one last glare in warning, she turned and walked away, Wells walking a few steps ahead of her.

\----------------------------------------------

As Alex and Wells walked away from them Murphy clenched his teeth in anger. _That stupid bitch_ , _I'm going to gut her, and then gut Wells._

"You know," came a mildly condescending voice from behind them, and Murphy turned to find Bellamy Blake standing not too far, "if you are going to kill someone, it's probably best that you don't announce it."

"It wouldn't have been an issue if Evans hadn't stepped in," Mbege spat in reply.

Blake hummed. "Yeah, she does seem to do that.” He sent them a dubious stare, quirking an eyebrow. “Although, it’s more interesting to me how you guys seem to be afraid of her. She’s just a girl. What could she possibly do to the you?” He snorted in amusement, shaking his head. “Don’t tell me...you’re actually scared of Evans?”

Murphy scowled at the insinuation that he was scared of a girl. “She _did_ kill three people.”

“Right…” Bellamy cast him a disbelieving stare. “You honestly think she did it- killed three people?” He shook his head. “That’s the thing about rumours guys, they tend to exaggerate the truth.”

“So you don’t think she did it?” Murphy asked. “She was arrested for something Blake, there was a reason for it.”

“I’m sure there was.” Bellamy replied with an unconcerned shrug. “If we need to, we’ll take care of it.”

 _A guard? My ass._ Murphy felt himself relax marginally, snorting in amusement, a smirk crossing his face. "You're not really a member of the guard, are you?"

"No," Bellamy said simply. "But the real guard will be here soon, _unless_ we stop them." He studied each of them in turn. "You don't actually think they're going to forgive your crimes?" He asked them, before shaking his head in disbelief, the smirk never leaving his face. "Even if they do, then what? Guys like us, we're gonna become model citizens now, get jobs?" He tilted his head. "No, if we're lucky, we'll be picking up their trash."

"You got a point?" Mbege demanded from next to Murphy.

"No," Bellamy said, "I got a question...They locked you up, dumped you down here like lab rats to die. So why are you helping them?"

Mbege seemed insulted at the insinuation. "Like hell we are!"

"You're still wearing your wristbands, aren't you?" Bellamy asked in reply. "Right now, those things are telling them whether or not it's safe to follow us down."

Murphy nodded in agreement, beginning to see where Bellamy was going. "Okay, you said we could stop it. How?"

Bellamy gave him a small smirk of his own. "You take them off, the Ark will think you're dead, that it's not safe to follow." He cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. "You follow?"

"Right..."Murphy felt a smirk of his own forming on his face. "And if we do this," he said, meeting Mbege's gaze, before turning back to Blake. "I mean, what's in it for us?" Murphy added

Blake smirked down at them. "Someone's got to help me run things." He told them, and began to turn away.

Murphy spotted Alex and Wells on the other side of the clearing, and frowned. "Wait," Murphy said, and Blake turned back to him. "What about Evans and Jaha? I don't think they're going to agree with anything we tell them."

"I don't see why she wouldn't," Blake shrugged in response, turning to stare at her. "It should be easy to convince her." Murphy frowned at him, wondering what that meant, and Blake sent him a knowing look. "If the Ark comes down, she's probably going to be the first executed for her crimes. For her, it's going to be a matter of survival."

"And if she doesn't care?" Murphy countered.

Blake gave him a grim smile, “Guys, she’s one girl. If we can’t handle one girl we’re in a _lot_ of trouble."

_\----------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Bellamy headed inside the drop ship, looking around and taking stock of what they could salvage to help them start building a camp. Ignoring the giggling girls in the back, he didn't even know how little girls like that had even made it into the Skybox in the first place, he rummaged around the chairs, yanking out some of the red strapping that had been used as harnesses for most of the delinquents.

He needed to keep busy, to keep moving so his mind didn’t have the chance to think about Octavia off on her own with the other group. What if something happened? What if she got into trouble and he wasn’t there to help.

Shaking his head, he pushed the futile thoughts to the back of his mind. He had other things that he could worry about. Things he could actually do something about.

The wristbands.

He needed to find a way to get everyone to take them off. They were the key to everything. If what Clarke had said was true, and they were sending The Ark their vital stats, than they needed to take them off as soon as possible. If the Ark thought they were all dying, they wouldn't come down.

Then he and Octavia would be safe.

"You, Blake?" A voice came from behind him, and Bellamy turned to find a guy a few years younger than himself standing a few feet away. His skin more tanned than the other delinquents around the drop ship, with dark features, and hair hidden beneath a black beanie. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his worn black jacket.

"That depends," Bellamy said, slightly wary of the stranger as he straightened to his full height and gave him his full attention. "Who's asking?"

Pulling a hand out his pocket, the other boy extended it out towards Bellamy. "Nathan, Nathan Miller."

Taking his hand, he shook it briefly, staring down at Miller, wondering what the other boy wanted. "What can I do for you, Miller?"

Miller shook his head. "Not so much what you can do for me.”  Bellamy raised an eyebrow at his vague response and the other boy continued. "I saw you chatting with Al- Evans earlier."

Bellamy’s lips pursed into a thin line, not liking the idea of the other boy having been watching them. “Yeah, and?"

"You should stay away from her. You don’t want any of that - she’s nothing but trouble. Trust me." As Miller spoke his whole frame stiffened, his shoulders radiating tenseness, hands balling into fists at his sides.

Bellamy cocked his head to the side, curiosity peaked, although he kept his face carefully blank. The other boy had gone out of his way to find him and warn him, he may as well hear him out. He gave him a nod.  "Go on."

"She's dangerous."

Bellamy scoffed, staring down at Miller dubiously. "Look, no offense, but everyone here is a criminal, most of _them_ are dangerous," he replied dryly.

"None of _them_ murdered three people," Miller spat back, staring up at him unblinkingly, jaw clenched. "She's dangerous," he repeated.

"Okay," Bellamy nodded playing along. "So what? Is there something you expect me to do about it? It's not like we have a place to lock her up. So, what do you want me to do?"

Miller clenched his jaw, looking away to glare at the floor. "I-I don't know."

Bellamy studied him for a moment before sighing with a shrug. Miller was clearly not okay with the idea of Evans walking around. "Look, I'm not going to do anything to her unless she starts something, okay? So, until then, she's just as free as the rest of us."

"Fine," Miller said turning to leave. He paused before he got too far, and glanced at Bellamy over his shoulder.  “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”  

With that he turned around and headed back the way he’d come, leaving Bellamy to contemplate his warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Any input on my writing, positive or negative, is appreciated. I'm here to learn and improve!
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!

 

Chapter Five

Alex woke up bright and early the following morning, the foreign calls of birds and the wilderness rousing her from her sleep. Opening her eyes, she had to smile in wonder, her skin tingling at the sight: the forest around them had a layer of fog drifting through it, snaking through the trees above their heads.

Sitting up slowly, as to not disturb the two girls who had decided the previous night to sleep next to her on the moss covered ground, she pushed herself to her feet and looked around. The rain from night before had left the area damp, the air smelling sweet. Unlike the chaos and high energy of the day before, the area around the camp was quiet, teenagers strewn about everywhere as they'd found places to sleep. It looked like she was the one of the first to wake up, although she could see a few others starting to move, some nudging the still glowing embers in the fire pits from the day before, hoping to rekindle the flame.

As a slight breeze blew through the trees, Alex shivered slightly, glad that the night had stayed warm enough that their clothes kept them comfortable. It had only rained for a little bit, but it was enough to dampen their clothes. If the temperature had dropped another couple of degrees, it would have been a miserable it would have been a whole different story. They had no supplies, no blankets or extra clothes to spare if they'd needed to warm up.

Stretching her hands above her head, she yawned widely, before pushing herself to her feet. She felt better rested than she had in a long time, having slept through the whole night. The forest floor had been surprisingly comfortable, and she didn't remember waking up a single time throughout the night.

Glancing around the area, she was a little surprised to find Wells nowhere in sight, even though she knew he had settled down not far from them the night before. With a shrug to herself, she dismissed the thought.

_Must be an early riser, too._

Taking a few steps she froze, cringing when her stomach grumbled loudly, the sound seeming to echo through the clearing. She could feel the tips of her ears turn red in embarrassment,  although no one moved or looked her way.

_We are definitely going to need to find food today. Hopefully Clarke and the rest will be back soon. We won't last very long if we can't eat anything._

With a sigh she stepped forwards again, weaving around the sleeping delinquents, moving as quietly as possible, hoping none of them would wake up. The peace and quiet was something she wanted to enjoy as much as possible before the chaos started again.

As she stepped past the entrance to the drop ship she could hear Blake's voice inside, and quickly scurried away, hoping to avoid a confrontation so early in the morning. Glancing around, something caught her eye and she frowned.

Wells was sitting on a log slightly away from camp, his back facing the group.

Tilting her head to the side, she turned and made her way towards him, intending to say good morning.

Coming up behind him, she called out softly hoping not to startle him. "Hey."

At her voice his shoulders tensed slightly but he didn't say anything in response. Biting her lip at his unusual behaviour - he'd never ignored her before - she stepped over the log, sitting down beside him and peering down to see his face.

She was startled at what she saw. Wells had clearly not had as nice a sleep as she'd had; dark circles framed watery eyes as he stared out blankly before him. Concerned, she leaned towards him. "Hey, are you alright?" She asked him softly.

All she received was a shaky nod in response, and she noted that the only real movement he made was to rub his hand over his wrist, like he was soothing a wound.

_Wait a second._

With a sinking feeling settling in the pit of her stomach, she reached out grasping his hand and gently tugged it away from his wrist. He froze at her touched, but allowed her to pull his hand away.

Body tensing, she gritted her teeth as anger flared inside her at what she saw. His wrist, which should have been encased in the metal of his wristband, was completely bare. The area was deeply bruised, deep purples and blues blossoming underneath his skin like some weird mosaic. The skin was harshly scraped, the blood had already dried and scabbed. It looked like someone had wedged something between his wrist and the band, trying to pry it off.

_That's probably exactly what happened,_ she thought bitterly.

"Wells...who the hell did this to you?" She demanded, knowing that he would have never taken it off willingly. He had made that sufficiently clear since the moment that they'd landed that it would never happen.

He shook his head slowly, not even meeting her look. "It doesn't matter."

Jaw slack, she stared at him in disbelief, momentarily at a loss for words. _It doesn't matter?!_ Turning she crouched down in front of him, making him meet her glare. "It doesn't matter?!" She demanded. "What do you mean, it doesn't matter?"

"What's done is done." He said bitterly, staring straight ahead. "Nothing you, or I, or _anyone_ can do to make it better."

She stared at him is disbelief. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" She hissed. "Wells, this isn't okay...They can't do this!"

He stood up so abruptly that she stumbled back, landing on her butt. He stared down at her harshly, fists clenched at his sides. "You think I don't know that? What the hell do you expect me to do?"

She stared up before pushing herself to her feet, wiping the pine needle from her clothing and meeting his stare evenly. "Who did it Wells? Was it Blake - and Murphy? Did they do this?" She demanded from him.

At their names, his jaw clenched and he jerked his head to the side, glaring at the ground between them. That was all the answer she needed.

She couldn't believe it. Those assholes had no right in removing other peoples wristbands. It was one thing for people to be removing them on their own. That was their choice, their decision, no matter how stupid it may be.

She wasn't going to stand by and let them ruin their chances of getting help, and the rest of the people on the Ark from coming down the Earth.

As she stepped back over the log, Wells latched onto her wrist. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"This is not okay, Wells!" She repeated, shaking off his hand. "You might think you can do nothing about this, but I'm not going to allow that bastard to forcefully remove peoples wristbands. He has no right to make that choice for people."

"No, Alex. You can't. Blake has a gun." Wells rushed to tell her.  She paused. _He has a gun?_ She thought before shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter." She told him as she marched away.

"Doesn't matter?" Wells demanded as he leapt over the log and scurried to catch up with her. "If you say something, he might just _shoot_ you."

"I sincerely doubt he will shoot me," She hissed back at him as she marched past a couple of teenagers by the fire, heading to the drop ship where she'd heard Blake's voice earlier. "Sure, he's a thief, he stole that guards uniform, but I doubt he would shoot someone."

Wells let out an exasperated sigh as he caught up to her. "You didn't see him last night. He set up the entire thing. He _planned_ on me losing my wristband. I know it." Wells scowled. "He's been out to get me since we landed."

"I know, which is why someone needs to let our _esteemed leader_ ," she spat, "know that there are some decisions he doesn't get to make. Gun or no gun."

"He'll want your wristband as well, you know." He pointed out.

"I'd like to see him try." Alex scowled, glancing at Wells at the corner of her eye.

Her eyes landed on Blake as he strutted down the ramp of the dropship, as if he owned the place. A glare darkened her features. Fists clenched, she marched straight towards him, ignoring Murphy and the other guy that were with him. "Blake!" She called out as she reached him, ignored the groan of "this isn't going to be good," that came from Wells behind her.

Hearing his name he turned towards the source, and when he saw it was her he rolled his eyes, dismissing her, a mocking smile crossing his features as he stared down at her. "What do you want, Evans?"

Stepping up to him, she glared up at him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She demanded.

Blake snorted, glancing back at Murphy and the other guy in amusement, who smirked back at him in return. "Although it's not really your concern what I do, I believe I was walking down the ramp."

"You know what I mean." She spat at him. Blake seemed to catch sight of Wells over top of her head.

Blake shook his head in disappointment. "Ah, Wells. Couldn't take care of your own problems, so you had to go to your girlfriend?"

"Are you kidding me?" Alex stared up at him. This guy just didn't get it. "Do you think it's funny, Blake? Going around and attacking people to get them to do what you want?"

"Why do you even care, Evans?" Blake asked, peering down at her. "It's not _your_ wristband."

"You have no right in forcing people to take off their wristbands. If they want to do it themselves. Fine. That's _their_ problem, _their_ decision. But you have no right to make that decision for them." She jabbed him in the chest with her finger.

He looked amused at her anger before his expression turned more curious. "You know what? I don't get it, why _do_ you care?" He repeated, frowning down at her. "So what if the Ark thinks we're dead? So what? You should be one of the first to be happy to get away from them. You're a _murderer_ , you were going to be executed for your crimes." Stepping towards her, he towered above her as he stared down at her, forcing her to look up to meet his gaze. Jaw clenched, she had to stop herself from taking a step back. "You should be grateful for the second chance. It's not like you have anyone up there that cares about you anyways."

She had to stop her flinch. "You don't know anything about me." She hissed back. "And this has nothing to do with me, and you know it. I don't know why you are trying so hard to stop the people from the Ark from coming down, and I honestly don't care. But you can't do this."

"Oh really?" He leaned down towards her, cheek nearly brushing her own, lips only millimeters from her ear. "Then stop me."

There was a pause as they studied one another.

Alex's expression darkened. "You know Blake, be careful what you wish for." She hissed back at him. "I'll do _whatever_ I need to do. This is a fair warning: I hear you've been forcing wristbands from anyone else, especially Jemma, or Charlotte, or _anyone_ who doesn't want to and you'll find that you have bigger problem on your hands." She spat up at him.

Their argument had begun to gather attention; delinquents peering at them from over logs and pushing themselves up so that they could see what the commotion was about. Murphy and Mbege had stopped at the top of the ramp to see what was going on.

Bellamy seems to notice that they had an audience because he leaned back towards her to answer, his expression dark at her accusation. “You think I’d attack two little girls?” He hissed at her.

Alex scoffed. “I don’t know _what_ you’ll do, Blake.” She retorted, jabbing him in the chest with her finger. “That’s my point. You’re unpredictable and I. Don’t. Trust. You. So do yourself a favour, stay the hell away from them and Wells, and anyone else you feel the need to bully for your fucking selfish reasons.” Whirling around, she strode away

“I’ll get your wristband, Evans.” He told her arrogantly as she walk away.

“I’d like to see you try.” She snapped back over her shoulder.

She needed to get away from everyone. There were too many people, too many _stares_ , and right now   all she needed was a moment of peace and quiet. She could feel it in the tightness of shoulders. So instead of making her way back to where Wells was staring at her with a wide-eyed expression, she changed directions, instead heading around the edge of the drop ship, to an area that seemed a little more quiet.

Pacing back and forth, her fist clenched and unclenched as she thought about her conversation with Blake. The guy had some nerve forcing Wells to take him wristband off. But what she didn’t understand so why - why was Blake so determined fully cut them off from the Ark? He seemed willing to go to any lengths to make sure no one came down.

She knew that taking Wells wristband had been a calculated move on his part. Well’s was the Chancellor’s son, and if they thought he was dead, there would be doubts in the Ark about how safe the surface actually was. Who else would he go after? She frowned, contemplating who else was down here that he might be interested in. Maybe Clarke? Wasn’t her mum was on the Council? She would need to talk to Wells and ask him about it. He had known Clarke for a long time.

One thing was for sure, she needed to keep an eye out and make sure that he didn’t force anyone else into removing their wristbands.

Taking a deep breath, she rolled her shoulders, forcing herself to relax. If she was going to be any help to the others she needed to calm down and think things through. She wasn’t going to be able to do that if she was too angry to focus. She couldn’t let Blake get to her.

She needed to talk to Wells.

Turning to go back the way she came, she froze, jaw dropping as whatever thoughts of what she’d been meaning to do fled her entirely as she stared at the one person she didn’t think she would ever see again.

Nathan Miller was walking around the side of the drop ship, shoulders hunched and hands stuffed deeply in his pockets as he looked around. His familiar beanie was perched on his ears, pulled low to nearly cover his ears. He clearly hadn’t seen her as he peered around the other teenagers, looking like he felt out of place from the ruckus beginning around camp.

“Nate?” She breathed out, the words escaping her before she had a chance to think. Even though he looked too far to have heard her, his shoulders stiffened in response, and he glanced towards her, brown eyes meeting her own.

_How was he here?_

A flicker of surprise crossed his face before settling into a dark glare. Swallowing nervously, her heart panged at the rage in his face, and she winced.

_He’s taller._ Was the first thought to flit through her head as she stared at him. It was true, he looked taller, his body had leaned out, putting on some muscle. His face had finally lost some of the baby fat that her and Liam has teased him for mercilessly during their early teens.

She wanted to say something - to say anything at all. But words failed her. What could she say to someone she hasn’t seen in nearly two years? To someone she’d grown up with; played together, laughed and joked together for a long as she could remember? Someone she’d shared her first kiss with when they’d been too young to even understand what it meant?

What do you say to someone who believes she murdered their best friend?

She knew he was angry, betrayed. She knew he was when he hadn’t visited her a single time during her time in the Skybox.

When she didn’t say anything, he gave her a dirty look before turning to walk away.

She hurried forward a few steps, reaching out before she even realized what she was doing. Licking her lips nervously she called out. “Nate, please. Wait.”

At her words, he froze facing away from her, shoulders tense.

Arm drawing back to her body protectively, she gripped her elbows, shifting slightly on her feet as she waited for him to do something, anything, to give away what he was thinking.

As she took a breath to call him again, he whirled around, stalking towards her, the expression on his face murderous. As he came to stand before her, she tensed, gaze dropping to the space between them, finding she could no longer meet his eyes. His gaze too heavy.

“What do you want, Evans? Want to add me to your collection of murders? Wouldn’t be the complete set without murdering both best friends, right?”

Her breath hitched in her throat as her head jerked back, eyes snapping up to his. She stared at him, jaw working, trying to find something to say at him venomous accusation. But she couldn’t think of the words to say, she was speechless.

“What? Suddenly got nothing to say?” Nathan sneered, eyes cold as he stared down at her.

“I’m -”

“No!” He interrupted her, “Don’t say it. You don’t _get_ to say it.” He snarled, cutting her off with an angry wave of his arms. “You don’t - You don’t have the _right_ to apologize. Not after what you did.” Taking a step away from her, he took a shuddering breath. “Didn’t he mean anything to you?” The last few words he whispered out.

_Of course he did… Liam meant more to her than he would ever know._

The pain in his voice made her heart clench painfully and tears blurred her vision, and she blinked rapidly to clear it.

He didn’t understand. She wanted...needed him to understand. In the beginning she’d waited and waited, hoping that he would come to her small cell in the Skybox and asked her for her side. But when he hadn’t come, she’d accepted her fate, knowing that she’d lost a friend to circumstances outside of her control.

But things were different now. They were going to be living in the same place, seeing  a lot more of each other everyday. She couldn’t have this weight on either of their shoulders...He needed to know the truth.

She gazed up at him imploringly, shaking her head, “You don’t understand. That’s not what happened.” She told him softly.

“I understand enough. Our best friend is up there,” Nathan threw a hand out, pointing up into the sky, “lying in a coma, because of _you_.” His voice grew louder and a few kids nearby turned their heads to see what the commotion was about.

She shifted on her feet, uncomfortable. This was something they needed to talk about, something that needed to be said in private, without prying eyes. There were things he needed to know, things that the others couldn’t - shouldn’t - hear. Having all eyes on them would only make things worse.

“Nate, please, you have to-” She implored, but he pulled away when she reached towards him.

“I don’t have to do anything, Evans.” He snapped. “Leave me alone.”

Taking a shuddering breath, she hastily wiped the tears that had rolled down her cheeks. Chest aching as she stared after him, she realized nothing would ever be the same between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review and let me know what you thought about this chapter! :)  
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!

Chapter 6

Sun shining through the canopy high above her, Alex took a deep shuddering breath as she pushed her way through some low hanging branches, leaves and pine needles crunching beneath her boots with every step she took.

Each step taking her further away from the drop ship, away from the chaos, away from Nate.

She needed to find a place where she could think in peace.

She didn't really know _what_ to think, at least not right now. Her emotions were in turmoil since her encounter with him. She was upset - angry even. They'd been friends since they could walk, and for awhile, they'd been more than that. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides as she stepped over a log. But apparently none of that meant anything to him anymore. He wouldn't give her the time to actually _explain_ , to tell her side of the story.

She scowled. Why the hell was he even here? What an _idiot_. He'd gotten himself arrested? What had he done on the Ark to get himself a one way ticket to Earth, nobody got sentenced to the Skybox without committing a crime.

Another thing that was bothering her was the fact that Mr. Miller had come to her cell to tell her goodbye, but he’d said nothing, not even a _hint_ that his son was being sent down to Earth with her. Why hadn’t he said anything? Why had he kept quiet about the whole thing?

Ducking under a fallen tree, she grimaced. Then again, she hadn't seen either of them in nearly two years, both having made themselves scarce the moment they’d heard of her arrest. So why _would_ he warn her? The connection she had with him because of his son was no longer there. They’d abandoned her. Why would he have a sudden change of heart?

At the bitter thought, she came to a halt, blinking away the tears that once again threatened to spill. Reaching up she pinched the bridge of her nose, doing her best to shove those feeling into the far back corner of her mind. What they did or didn't do didn't matter anymore. She could think about that later. Right now she had more pressing issues to figure out, like what to do about Bellamy and his squad of idiots.

She didn't know why, but for some reason, Blake was determined to fully cut off the already limited communication that with the Ark. His mind was set, determined to get every single one of their wristbands and was apparently willing to go to any lengths to get what he wanted. She snorted in disgust as his chant of “whatever the hell we want” from the night before came to mind. The guy was willing to turn the group into absolute chaos if he had to.

Stepping forward once more, she carefully made her way down a steeper part of the slope, grasping at branches and smaller trees scatters down the slope to stop herself from careening down the hill head first, each trunk bending slightly under her weight. Making it to the bottom, she jumped over the last tangle of roots, landing in a crouch, her feet splashing in a small puddle. Staring down at her now soaked boots, she felt momentarily glad that someone had thought to provide her with boots before they'd sent her down to Earth.

Pushing herself to her feet, a small smile crossed her face as birds chirped in the trees above her and she realized she could no longer hear the chatter from the drop ship. A peacefulness had settled in the air around her and she was determined to enjoy it.

Maybe not everything that had happened was as bad as she’d thought. She was here. On Earth. One of the first people to step foot on the ground in nearly a hundred years, the place they’d all originated from. And she was free from the confines of her cell, free to do whatever she wanted.

With that thought in mind, she strode forward, hoping that she was going in the right direction. The day before when she’d looked at the map Clarke had been using it looked as if she only had to head downhill from the landing site, that is be nearly impossible for her to miss the river that cut through the valley.

It was only after she’d weaved her way through the forest for another fifteen minutes that she realized that she could hear the thundering river and as she made her way closer, the sounds only got louder.

Finally reaching the ledge that overlooked the river, she peered over a log which separated her from the muddy, steep banks.

_Whoa, that’s...a lot of water._

Eyes widening at the sight before her, she stared down at the raging water as it crashed and ripped down stream. The river was much bigger than she'd originally thought, at least twenty meters across and she couldn’t even begin to guess how deep it went. The area closest to her, directly below the embankment, was made entirely of pebbles and gravel. Scattered throughout the area were boulders, some as small as her fist and others as large, if not larger, than the hatch to the drop ship. Large stones peaked out of the water everywhere she looked, the water swirling around them, looking like giant stepping stones to reach the other side.  

Suddenly filled with excitement at the prospect of touching water, she stepped over the log, carefully placing her feet on the muddy embankment before quickly scrambling and sliding down the slope, yelping as her feet slipped out from under her and she slid the rest of the way down on her butt. Managing to get her feet underneath her at the last second, she planted them firmly on the gravel and stumbled forward, barely stopping herself from going face first into a nearby boulder.

Grumbling in annoyance, she tried to brush some of the mud and grit out of her pants, but apparently it had already seeped in, the dark fabric of her pants stained a muddy brown. With a grimace, she flicked off a could more lumps of mud before giving up with an exasperated sigh.

Looking up, she gazed out in front of her, studying a couple of the large boulders out by the water, figuring that they were as good a place as any to head to. Stepping out onto the pebbles, she took note of how wobbly they were and carefully started to make her way across the beach heading towards them.

Reaching the large chunks of rock, she realized that they were a lot bigger than she originally thought, the one directly in front of her easily towering over her head, the one behind it even taller, both casting large shadows on the area below.

Touching the rough surface, she scampered up the side of the closest one, gripping the surface with hands and feet, and pulled herself to the top before pushing herself to her feet. Staring down in wonder at the rushing water below her, she watched the current pool and eddy as it moved along before disappearing around the corner further downstream. She could even feel the gentle spray of water as it crashed against the rock she was standing on.

Though the sound of the roaring water was loud, she found it oddly soothing, the constant sound seeming to melt away some of the tension out of her shoulders.

Looking at the rock beneath her feet, she found the flattest patch she could, before undoing her jacket and shrugging it off her shoulders, staying only in her thin, dark blue tank top. Setting down the dark material, she lowered herself on top of it, crossing her legs in front of her as she leaned back on her hands.

A sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes, head rolling back as she basked in the sun, the warmth feeling wonderful on her bare skin.

Unlike from the Ark, the sun was different here, she could expose her body without worrying about the radiation, or the risk of blinding herself if she didn’t have eye protection. Instead it just felt pleasant, soothing, the rays warming the skin of her arms, her neck, her face. She knew that eventually she’d have to go back to the others, and deal with everything else, but right now she was going to enjoy every second of peacefulness she could get. Everything else could wait.

_Who would've thought in a million years that you’d ever experience something like this?_

Birds chirped and twittered around her, the lively sound bringing a soft smile to her face. Even if humans hadn't managed to survive down on Earth, birds had at least made themselves at home, and seemed to be thriving in the forest around them.

She’s probably been enjoying the sun for about an hour when a sudden crack cut through the  the sound of rushing water. Lazily opening her eyes, she peered across the river curiously, searching the far bank for any sign as to what had made the sound. The greens and browns on the other side of the river looked remarkably similar to the side she was sitting on: steep banks leading up into dark bushes, trees towering high above them. Branches waved slowly in the breeze that had swept up the river.

When nothing immediately caught her eye she mentally shrugged. _Probably just an animal_. If birds had survived, there were bound to be other animals in the area. Maybe it was a deer? She'd read once that they’d lived in this type of forest. Were they heavy enough to break a branch if they stepped on it?

No other sounds immediately caught her attention. The rustle of swaying branches and the rush of water seemed to fill the air once more. Something had changed, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

As she began to relax once more, she frowned when she realized what was out of place. A chill swept up her spine, goosebumps prickling across her skin. The twitter and chirping of birds had stopped entirely; she couldn’t hear them at all.

Feeling suddenly alert, she leaned forward with a frown, resting her arms on her knees, head tilted to the side as she listened intently. She could feel the muscles in her shoulders tense as the sounds of birds failed to return. Examining the area around her, she couldn't see anything which set her on alert.

But something had _changed_.

A sudden shadow moving between trees caught her attention and her eyes snapped to the spot, looking for any sign as to what had caught her eye. Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat she wondered what it was, the movement having been too fast for her to see. Whatever it was  had disappeared into the foliage or had stopped moving entirely.

As her skin crawled, she realized it was watching her.

_Maybe it wasn't a deer after all. If there are animals there’s bound to be predators around here,_ she thought warily, and a flicker of panic went through her. What kinds of predators were out here? Giant bears? Big cats? Man-eating snakes?

She could have groaned at her stupidity. _Idiot, why did you come out here alone? You didn’t even tell anyone where you were going!_

Slowly pushing herself to her knees, she stayed crouched as she looked around. Peering over her shoulder she checked the area behind her, making sure that nothing had snuck up on her while she wasn’t looking. When she turned her eyes forward once more and focused on the bank across from her, her heart lurched violently in her chest, and she had to blink, as her mind tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

There was a man standing on the ridge across from her in the exact spot she’d seen movement earlier. He stood straight, almost casual as he stared at her with dark eyes.

_That's...not possible,_ she thought faintly, staring at him with wide eyes. He definitely hadn’t been standing there a couple of seconds ago, she was sure of it. He must have stepped out from behind one of the nearby trees while she was looking over her shoulder.

Heart pounding wildly behind her ribs, she swallowed the lump in her throat, her mouth suddenly bone dry as she studied him warily.

He was dressed in dark greys and browns, both the colour and the texture of the material making him easily blend into the area around him. Hood pulled back from his face revealed a tanned face with strong features and dark eyes, skin covered in either mud or some sort of makeup, she couldn't tell. The sides of his head were shaved, but the dark brown hair along the top was pulled back into an assortment of twists and braids.

She could see he was well built, even from where she was standing. His clothing draped across muscular shoulders, and the bare skin of his arms showed the line of each distinct muscle. The man was fit and built unlike any of the other delinquents.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she studied him, and he, in turn, studied her. His gaze was intense, and she shivered as dark eyes roved over her face, her chest and the rest of her body, his expression staying carefully blank, not even looking curious at the fact that he was studying a girl who was so very different from himself. He just looked indifferent. Like he didn’t care at all.

She swallowed when she saw the hilt of a blade strapped to his back. He had a long bow in hand, a quiver of arrows strapped across his back, the dark fletching peeking over his shoulder. While his stance was fairly relaxed, she had the feeling it could change in a moment's notice.

All in all, he didn't come across as friendly, at all.

_So, there were survivors after all._ She thought meekly.

The entire thing felt too surreal to her. No one was supposed to be alive down here. She’d been taught since her first history classes that humans had all but ceased to exist during the last war, that the radiation on the surface was simply too high for them to survive. But here, standing in front of her, was a healthy, physical proof that that wasn’t the case.

They’d been wrong all along.

Jaw clenched, Alex knelt with legs tensed beneath her, realizing that she didn’t know _what_ to do. Slowly wiping her sweaty palms on her pants, she contemplated her options. She'd never expected to run into someone out here, least of all someone that hadn't arrived on the drop ship with her. She didn’t know who he was, where he’d come from. Were there more of him, or was he one of the few remaining survivors? All in all, she didn't know what this guy would do. Maybe he was just curious about her and the rest of the people from the drop ship, watching them to see if they were a threat or not?

Or maybe he’s been waiting for the moment when people began to wander away from the ship, and was picking them off one by one. Hadn’t Pascal and Trina been missing since soon after they’d landed? The thought sent a shiver of worry through her and she shifted uneasily, her knees digging into the rough surface below.

She needed to get back to the others. Now.

Slowly reaching down with her right hand, she grasped the material of her jacket in a tightly clenched fist, ready to make a run if and when she needed to.

How was she going to do this? She was extremely exposed sitting on the boulder, the open area around her providing her with little to no protection at all. If she could somehow slide off the back side of the boulder, and put the boulder between them? It would at least give her some sort of cover.

_Stupid, there's no way you’d make it. He'd shoot me down before I could even make it to the trees. Although, he could just as well shoot me as I sit here._

She started to get anxious, toes wiggling nervously in her boots when all he did was stare, almost unblinking, never even seeming to shift on his feet.

_What did he want? What’s he waiting for?_

Movement behind the man cut through her thoughts, and her stomach clenched in fear. _There’s more of them?_ She thought meekly, heart pounding in her chest.

As she watched the man seemed to visibly tense at the presence behind him, and he quickly turned to glance over his shoulder, his braids swinging at the movement, although he always kept her within his sights.

Whatever he saw must have eased his worries, because his shoulders marginally relaxed, although when he turned back to her, the scowl he wore seemed more prominent than before.

The new figure walked slowly, until it was standing just behind the man. Whoever it was quite a bit shorter than him, head barely reaching over his elbow. They were dressed from head to toe in a dark brown cloak, the hood pulled high to conceal their face.

She swallowed nervously as the two figures across the river continued to stared at her. _Now what?_

After a brief, but tense, pause the shorter figure stepped forward, moving around the man to head towards the edge of the bank. The sudden movement seemed to startle the man, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise as he quickly reached out, gently placing a hand on the cloaked figures shoulder. At his touch, the smaller figure stopped, looking back at him, the hood hiding their face.

Alex sat tense, watching warily as the man leaned down to whisper something to the other figure, the roaring river covering whatever he had said. In response, the cloaked figure reached up, gently patting his hand before using the same hand to push back the dark material of their hood.

Alex blinked, startled at the face that appeared from under the hood.

Light gray hair, almost white in colour, was pulled back tightly into intricate twists and braids, each strand decorated with colourful beads and trinkets. Her skin was weathered, tanned and wrinkled; it was clear that she had spent most of her life outdoors.

Staring back at Alex were a pair of dark eyes, similar in colour and shape to the man’s, but lacking in their hostility and intensity. Instead they were curious, a small frown etching her features as she studied her from across the water.

The man stood tensely at the older woman’s shoulder, gazing between them, his stance and the grip on his bow indicating that he was more than willing to step in if he felt the need.

Biting the inside of her lip, Alex tried to figure out what to do. Should she leave? _Could_ she leave? The old woman didn’t look hostile, appearing nothing but curious, but the man at her shoulder set her on edge, his glare making the hairs on the nape of her neck stand on end. She wasn’t sure that if she turned her back, he wouldn’t just lodge an arrow between her shoulder blades.

She gritted her teeth at the thought.

She was stuck.

Alex tensed when the old woman raised her hand, and for a second she was worried the old woman was signalling something to the man. But when she just continued to hold her hand out before her, palm facing out, she was puzzled when she realized that it was a greeting.

The old woman was _waving at her_.

_What. The. Hell?_ Alex hesitated, frowning in disbelief. _What the hell? Does she expect me to wave back?_

The old woman didn’t seem bothered by her lack of response, and with a small quirk of her lips, turned and latched onto her companions arm, beginning to slowly tug and slightly pull him up the hill.

He seemed to give an exasperated sigh at the women's incessant tugging. Before turning to leave, he gave Alex a bone chilling glare as if daring her to move while he wasn’t looking, and she cringed slightly in response. Seeming satisfied with her response, he turned, and the two made their way behind a bush and disappeared out of sight.

They were gone.

_Get up! Go!_

Launching herself to her feet, she spun and jumped the long drop down onto the gravel below, opposite from where he’d been standing, hoping that the boulder would give her some form of protection. As she landed, her knees buckled beneath her, boots sliding on the slippery rocks and her hands flew out in front of her, slamming into the gravel as she fought for balance. A hiss of pain escaped her, as she felt the sharp rocks tears into the palm of her hand.

_Shit!_

Not pausing to look to see the damage, she shoved herself back to her feet, sprinting as fast as she could for the bank she'd come down not even an hour before hand. Using her momentum, she scrambled up the slope, ignoring the sting of her grazed hands as she reached out and grasped some tree roots to help herself get up the rest of the way. Hauling herself up all the way, she scrambled over roots and logs before leaping to her feet, jacket somehow still clenched tightly in hand and dashed back up the hill.

Dashing up the slope, she wove left and right, dodging around trees, clearing fallen logs and small bushes, feet pounding on the soft moss of forest floor underneath her. Arms pumping at her sides, she tried to put as much distance between her and the threat that she didn't even know was actually chasing her.

Sweat dripped down the side of her temple and down the back of her neck. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't hear any sounds that indicated that they were pursuing. Instead, her eardrum were filled with the harsh pounding of her heart and the ragged gasps that tore from her lungs as she pushed her body further and faster than she had ever done before. She couldn't bring herself to slow down, or look over her shoulder to see if she was being followed.

Coming up to a small dip in the forest that she recognized as being close to the drop ship, she felt a small sense of relief in knowing that she was close to safety. Slowing her pace to a jog, then to a full stop, she turned to look back the way she’d come, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

Nothing. Everything stood dead still. Not a single bush or branch moved. It hardly looked like she’d run through there at all.

Swallowing nervously, she didn’t know if she should feel relieved or worried that there was no sign of anything out of place. Maybe they hadn’t chased her after all.

Once her breathing began to even out, she wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, turning to headed up the remaining distance to the dropship, happy and relieved when she could see movement and the sight of familiar faces.

Wiping her hands on her pants in an effort to remove the grit that stuck to her skin, she gritted her teeth when her grazed palms came in contact with the rough material of her pants. Looking down at them, she noted that along the heel of her palm the skin had been rubbed raw, the area pink and bloody, blood slowly seeping through thin cuts. Grimacing as they stung, she gently brushed away the dirt and pine needles that stuck, knowing she’d have to wash them soon if she wanted to stop herself from getting an infection.

Looking up, she examined the group around her, looking for any sign of Wells, knowing that he would be one of the first people to hear her out. The delinquents had broken down into smaller groups and were sorting through the scraps scattered throughout the area, some tearing the large parachute into smaller sections to use as shelter. The rain the night before had left a chill in the group, people wanted to stay warm if it happened again.

When she didn’t catch any sign of Wells, she frowned, chewing on the inside of her lip. Who else could she tell? Clarke and the few other people who she trusted were out looking for food, and wouldn’t be back for awhile.

_What about Blake?_

She scowled at the thought. He was one of the last people she wanted to walk to right now. In fact, she didn’t want to talk to him _at all._ But who else could she tell? It’s not like she had many options. As much as she hated to admit it, it made sense to tell him: the others seemed to follow his lead, or at the very least listen to him.

Everyone had the right know about this. They needed to be aware that they weren’t the only ones in the area. That there was still people living here, still surviving.

_Plus, he might be an asshole,_ she tried to convince herself, _but his sister’s out there. And if he cares about her, he’ll listen to what I have to say._

Looking around, she quickly spotted him sitting around a fire with a few of the guys, Murphy and Mbege sitting not too far away. Her resolve wobbled momentarily as her eyes landed on Nathan, who sat among them.

Taking a deep breath, she steeled her resolve, knowing what she had to do. This wasn’t just about them. This involved everyone in the group.

Plus, if he didn’t want to talk to her anymore, fine, she could deal with that. That was his problem. She wasn’t going to let him interfere with what she had to do.

Stepping forward, she easily made her way towards them, stopping only a couple of feet away.

Murphy glanced up at her and gave her an unimpressed look before returning to filing the sharp piece of metal he must have found in the scraps. Nathan ignored her entirely.

“Blake,” she snapped, feeling a flash of irritation when they all pointedly ignored her.

He didn’t bother to even look up at her, just gave an exaggerated sigh as he continued filing his own piece of scrap metal. “What do you want, Evans?”

“I saw people out in the forest, down by the river,” she stated pointedly, deciding to get straight to the point.

“That’s...exciting,” he replied dryly, glancing up to give her a derisive look. “And why should I care?”

“I mean strangers, Blake! They weren’t part of our group.” She snapped back, glaring down at him.

That seemed to finally get his attention because her looked up at her, giving her skeptical look, eyebrows furrowed. “Not one of us?”

“Yes. As in didn’t come from the Ark, didn’t arrive on the drop ship, weren’t part of this group, aren’t one of these many teenage delinquents.” She waved a hand out around them sarcastically. “Shall I keep going?”

He sent her a quick glare of annoyance. “That’s not possible,” he said simply in return. “Besides, it probably _was_ one of our own. Trina and Pascal have been off exploring from the moment we got here, it was probably one of them.”

“Well, unless they really decided to really embrace this whole ‘we’re on Earth’ thing by wearing furs and painting their faces,” she spat sarcastically through clenched teeth, glaring down at him. “I’m telling you, it _wasn’t_ them.”

“Look, Evans...” he sighed as he pushed himself to his feet, taking a step towards her so her could look down at her. However, once his eyes caught sight of her, whatever he’d been about to say died on his lips. Instead a small smirk grew on his face as he stared down at her. “Well, this _is_ a surprise. You should wear less clothing more often,” he said as his eyes raked over her body.

Frowning at his comment, she realized that in her hurry to get back to the drop ship, she’d forgotten to put her jacket back on, and was wearing only her blue tank top, which was cut low enough that it seemed to catch Blake’s attention.

“Eyes up here, Blake,” she snapped her fingers twice in front of his face, and he blinked, dragging his eyes up from where they’d been looking. He gave her an unabashed smirk despite her irritated glare. “And before your tiny little mind gets distracted again, I’m being serious. There were people out there, and they definitely weren’t one of ours.”

He rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair to push it away from his face. “You’re being ridiculous.” He slowly shook his head. “No one’s been in this area for nearly a hundred years. Or didn’t you learn anything in your history lessons?” He asked her mockingly, tilting his head slightly as he studied her.

She scowled, feeling exasperated that he just kept trying to brush her off. “What makes you think our teachers were right? It’s not like _they’ve_ been down to Earth before. For all we know, they could be wrong, and there _could_ be survivors.”

Nathan abruptly growled as he leapt to his feet, shoving his way between her and Blake, and she stumbled back in surprise. Her heart leapt in her chest as he glared down at her, and she had to stop herself from flinching away.

“Stop lying!” Nathan snarled down at her venomously. “Just stop trying to ruin things for everyone else. That all you seem to do! So why don’t you get lost, and leave everyone alone!” He shouted out the last words, and silence descended in the area, most of the delinquents turning to see what the commotion was about.

Her jaw dropped as she stared up at him, she had to blink the sudden tears that blurred her vision.

Blake watched them from the side, a curious frown on his face as he glanced between them. A snort came from Murphy who was staring up at the whole spectacle with an amused expression on his face, knife laying forgotten in his hands.

Clenching her fists to hide her shaking hands, she tried to ignore the nervous churn of her stomach. She hated the malice and venom on Nate’s face, in his voice, feeling hopeless that there was nothing she could do about it. It was clear to her that he hated her, any shred of friendship they’d ever shared was long gone.

Pulling her gaze away from Nate’s, she swallowed, licking her lips. “Fine,” she told him softly and turned to walk away but not before stopping in front of Blake. She met his stare with a watery look of her own. “Just thought you would want to know what I saw, since your sister is still out there.” She told him quietly and he frowned at the mention of his sister. Before he had a chance to say anything in response, she turned and walked away from them, ignoring the mocking way that Murphy whistled and twisted his finger around his temple, making her way through the crowd that had stopped to watch the brief altercation.

She kept her gaze forward, jaw clenched, refusing to meet the gazes of any of the delinquents who stared at her as she walked by. She ignored the smirks and the snickers that followed her as she went.

As she passed through the crowd a small hand slipped into her own. Looking down, she found Charlotte staring up at her, eyebrows drawn in a concerned frown. Giving the younger girl a small wavering smile, she squeezed her hand gently, letting her know how much she appreciated her comfort.

They didn’t believe her, but she knew what she’d seen. She knew she’d have to be extra vigilant, for Charlotte, for Wells, even for the rest of them. Because sooner or later, something would happen and they’d all find out she was right. Hopefully, their ignorance of her warning wouldn’t come with dire consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)  
> Thanks so much for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!

Chapter 7

 

"Are...are you alright?" Came the tentative voice off to her right.

Alex closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and forcing her emotions under control, shoving everything to the back of her mind where it could be dealt with later. Feeling more in control of herself, she rolled her shoulders before turning to Charlotte and giving her a small quirk of her lips. "Yeah...Yeah, I'll be fine." She told her gently, giving the small hand which was braced in her own a small squeeze.

After her not-so-pleasant encounter with both Nathan and Blake, her and Charlotte had moved away from the crowd of loud and rowdy teenagers and headed to a more secluded area, back to where they'd slept the night before.

Rubbing her hands over her weary eyes, she realized she was exhausted - both mentally and physically - and promptly threw herself down on the closest log with a huff. Running a hand through her loose hair, which had fallen out the braid it had been held back in, she scowled as her finger snagged on the tangles and leaves that had accumulated there during her mad dash back to the drop ship. Pushing the long, blonde strands away from her face, she pulled them back, quickly twisting her hair in a bun and securing it with the only hair tie she had.

_I’ll be fine._

Saying the words out loud had given her a small measure of reassurance. She _would_ be fine. She’d experienced much worse. She’d deal with this the same way she dealt with everything else, in the best way she knew how: push it back into the depths of her mind, lock it away so she could deal with it in a better place, at a better time.

Right now there were more important matters to deal with.

The group needed supplies.

Food, water and shelter. If they didn’t get organized, they weren’t going to last very long.

_Wouldn’t that be pathetic._ She mentally snorted in amusement. _We made it all the way down to Earth, only to die because people were being too stupid to find food and water._

They also needed to figure out what the hell they were going to do about the fact that they weren't alone. There were people already living here. Surviving. They’d probably been watching the delinquent since they’d landed. The question was: were they friend or foe? And what did they want?

With a sigh, she knew she needed to get busy before her thoughts got carried away. Thinking about the other people here on Earth right now, wouldn't do anything to help their situation. At the moment, there was really nothing she could do to answer any of the questions she had. There were just some issues that she _couldn't_ deal with, and there was nothing she could do about it.

_But...there are things I_ can _do to help._

With that thought in mind, she threw an arm out around the girl sitting next to her, pulling her close and giving her a comforting squeeze. "I'll be fine." She repeated once more, keeping her voice light as she gave a decisive nod of her head. "Know what we should do?" She asked the younger girl.

Charlotte sent her a curious look, before quietly shaking her head with a shrug.

"Well, I noticed a bunch of the others tearing up some of the parachute." Alex informed her, nodding back towards the way they'd come. "I figured we should probably grab some of our own and start making our own tent...What do you think?"

Charlotte glanced up at the blue sky overhead before looking back at Alex. "It _would_ be nice to have somewhere to go when it rains again." She said simply in agreement.

Giving her one last squeeze, Alex pushed herself to her feet, clapping her hands together once, before giving the younger girl a small smile. "Alright. Sounds like a plan. We should probably grab Jemma too - who knows what kind of trouble that kid’s been getting herself into." She mumbled to herself, and Charlotte gave a small smile in agreement. "Know where she wandered off to?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah. I think she was helping Harper."

"Okay, lets grab her and we'll figure out what we’ll do." Alex replied.

Making their way back towards the dropship, Alex determinedly ignored the stares and whispers that followed them, fist clenching and unclenching continuously in her agitation, the movement hidden inside the sleeves of her jacket.  

_Why can’t they just mind their own damn business?_

She glared pointedly at a few who caught her gaze, until they looked uncomfortable and turned away. _Wimps._

About to head up the ramp of the drop ship, she paused when a figure in the distance caught her attention.

_What’s he up to?_

Brows furrowing, she watched Wells from a distance, wondering what he was doing out in the trees by himself. She hadn’t seen him since this morning and had yet to tell him about the people she’d encountered down by the river. The more people who knew, the better. Even if they didn’t believe her, they would know that there was the possibility of danger if they went out on their own.

“What’s wrong?” Charlotte inquired, probably wondering why she’d stopped and peered around her to see where she was looking at.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing.” Alex shook her head before glancing down at her. “Just thought of something. Hey, why don’t we grab Wells first and then get Jemma - he would probably want to help with the tents.”

Charlotte shifted slightly on her feet, staring out in the direction they could see Wells and for a second Alex thought the young girl looked nervous, her face blanching slightly. She licked her lips before glancing up at Alex, she gave a small, tight smile, “I think I’ll go get Jemma, wouldn’t it be faster that way?”

Frowning, Alex momentarily wondered what that had been about, but quickly shrugged it off. “Yeah, sure. If Jemma’s with Harper, how about you stay with her and I'll come find you guys in a bit?”

Charlotte nodded her head sharply in reply before turning and scampering off in the direction Alex assumed the other girls were camping out. Alex watched as she glanced over her shoulder once, not to look back at her, but to look back towards Wells, her expression clearly troubled by something.

_That's weird…_

What a shrug, Alex turned and headed towards Wells, weaving through teenagers and trees before stepping past the tree line. As she came up next to him, she found him staring down at the ground in front of him, shoulders stiff, back slightly hunched; it was clear something was bothering him.

_What’s he staring at?_

With a curious glance, she peered over his shoulder, and in one quick second, she realized exactly what the issue was.

_Oh…_

Swallowing thickly, she stared down at the bodies of the two boys that had died before they even landed. The only two who’d been sent down to Earth that would never experience the new world around them.

They could have been asleep if it weren’t for the greyish pallor of their skin, or for the eerie and unnatural way their bodies held no movement whatsoever. Closed eyelids didn’t flicker, chests were stone still.

They were motionless, frozen in death.

It made her stomach turn when she noticed one of the boys necks was bent at an unnatural angle, head turned almost grotesquely to the side, clearly the cause of his death.

Cringing slightly at the sight, guilt welled up inside her as she realized she had forgotten about them entirely, not having spared them a single thought from the moment they’d landed. And here was Wells, who had taken considerable effort and time to dragged each of them out of the dropship, away from everyone else, by himself, despite having a bad ankle.

“Hey…” she said softly to Wells, searching his face for any sign of emotion, but he was unreadable. Reaching out, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder, but pulled back when he roughly shrugged her off. Biting the inside of her cheek she wondered what she could say to make it better. He was clearly upset about the two dead boys, although as far as she knew he hadn’t known either of them before the crash.

After a moment of silence, he motioned angrily towards the bodies. “They should have been put to rest the moment we left the drop ship,” he stated, eyes locked on the two figures lying before them. Jerking slightly, he began pacing in front of her, his movements rough and agitated. “And what’s happened? Absolutely fucking _nothing_.” He stopped abruptly, back facing her, shoulders tense. “Instead people are too busy wandering around, taking off their fucking wristbands, like it doesn’t mean _a thing_ that everyone on the Ark is relying on us.”

She nodded slowly in agreement, biting her lip and wondering what she could say to make him feel better. There wasn’t much she _could_ say.

“Two of us are already dead,” he continued, his shoulders sagging suddenly, as if all the energy had suddenly left him altogether. Rubbing his hands tiredly over his face, he turned to face her. “If we don’t get our act together, these two aren’t going to be the only ones dead.” He motioned to the two bodies.

Licking her lips, she tentatively reached out once again, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and this time he didn’t shrug her off.

“Would you...did you want to bury them?” She suggested softly, realizing that that is probably why he had dragged the two boys all the way out here on his own. It was a nice spot. A small clearing away from where everyone stayed and slept.

_And there’s definitely enough space for a few more..._

She cringed away from the morbid thought as Wells nodded his head in agreement before reaching down to grab two long pieces of metal - debris from the drop ship - and handed one to her.

Both paused, staring sadly down at the two young boys before turning and digging the ends of the metal into the soft peat below them, beginning the long process of digging graves.

* * *

_This is way harder than I thought…_

Alex sighed, wiping away the sweat and dirt that seemed to have accumulated on her face while digging. Turning, she hoisted herself out of the decent sized hole that she’d been working on for the past few hours and promptly planted her butt on the soft moss, studying the grave she’d dug.

She wasn’t exactly sure how deep a grave was supposed to be, but she figured the one she’d dug was at least a meter deep, and was definitely long and wide enough for one of the boys to fit into.

After a couple of minutes, Wells finished the other grave, and pulled himself out, his t-shirt sticking to his frame, thoroughly drenched in sweat. The two of them had discarded their jackets not long after beginning, the warm, humid air causing them to quickly break out in a sweat.

Taking a few steps towards her, Wells threw himself on the ground next to her with a huff, leaning back on his hands to rest.

“I’m definitely not used to this type of work.” He moaned, nearly echoing her earlier thoughts while he rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the stiffness in his sore muscles.

She gave him a small smile, nothing but a quirk of her lips as she stared at the graves in front of them. “It’s sad really. They were so close to Earth...so close to freedom,” she said softly, leaning forwards to place her elbows on her knees. “But they didn’t make it...all because they decided to do something stupid, just like all other teenage boys.”

“Hey, teenage boy sitting right here!” Wells said, looking almost offended as he pointed at himself, but she could tell there was no heat behind his words.

She eyed him dubiously. “Well, as long as you aren’t going around doing anything stupid anytime soon,” she told him bluntly.

“I’ll do my best to rein in my stupidity from now on,” he reply was as equally dry.

She snorted softly, shaking her head before pushing herself to her feet and turning to Wells, holding out a hand to help him up. “Shall we get this over with?”

Nodding, he reached up and grasped her arm, and she had to lean back and use her entire body weight to help him up. Before she could even open her mouth to comment he quickly lifted a finger. “Not a word about my weight, thank you very much.”

Mouth closing with a snap, she rolled her eyes. “Spoilsport.”

Making their way over to the bodies, they stared down at them for a moment before Alex took a deep breath letting it out in a sigh.

“We should probably keep their stuff.” She told him softly, “Who knows...we might need some of it sooner or later. No point in wasting good gear.” Wells nodded in agreement as she stepped forward to begin to unzip the jacket of the boy closest to her, doing her best to avoid looking at the young boys face.

A shudder ran through her. This was hardly the first time she’d seen a dead body. No, she’d had close encounters with both the dead and the dying, she’d even been the cause. Eyes open or closed, there was a lifelessness about it all that unnerved her.

The wind picked up, ruffling the boys straight brown hair. The cut and shade was so familiar. Her eyes automatically wandered down his face. The familiar curve of his brow and the bridge of his nose forced her to pause in her inspection.

Body going cold, her hands froze, breath hitching in her chest as she stared at the suddenly familiar face in shock. Her mind couldn’t process what she was seeing.

_That’s- that’s not possible. How is he here? How did I not recognize him?_

A dark stain appeared on his chest, then another. To her horror, blood welled and began to spread, the red staining the grey shirt he was wearing. Rapidly pressing her hands to the wounds, she tried to stop the flow, but the blood simply gushed through her fingertips.

_He’s not here! He can’t be here!_

But there was blood. So much blood.

_No no no no. It’s not possible._

“What wrong?” Wells concerned voice cut through her thoughts and she jumped at the sudden sound, throwing herself backwards and away from the body, landing sprawled on her back. Eyes snapping up to meet Wells concerned gaze, she realized that her breathing was coming in short, quick panicked gasps, her chest feeling tight and constricted.

Quickly bringing her hands up to her face, she stared at them, the horror fading away to shock. No blood. The red that had stained her hands, her fingertips, the edges of her nail bed; it was gone, there was no sign of it having been there at all. There was nothing on her hands except the dirt that had ingrained itself into her skin and under her nails.

“I- I...nothing. I’m...I’m good,” she said hurriedly, not looking up to meet Wells worried gaze, and quickly pushing herself back onto her knees, reaching out with shaking hands to resume unzipping the dead boys clothing.

_It’s not him._ She thought numbly.

The boys features were the unfamiliar ones from before.

A hand reached out and grasped her own, stopping its movement and stilling its shaking. Glancing up she met Wells gaze and instantly knew that he was onto the fact that something was clearly, definitely wrong. He stared at her, brows furrowed, clearly puzzled by her panic.

“How ‘bout you let me do this?” He asked her gently instead of asking the question she knew was on the tip of his tongue. She let him gently pull her hand away from the body, and he continued what she’d been doing.

Nodding shakily, she knelt back on her feet and took a deep breath, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes.

_I’m - I’m going crazy._

Taking a deep breath, she tried to reign in her emotions, knowing that right now was not the time to be freaking out.

After giving her one more concerned glance, Wells quickly stripped down the other body, leaving him in nothing but his underwear, and depositing the clothing in a nearby pile with the rest of the clothes. After tugging off his boots, he turned to her and they shared a nod before they each grabbed his arms and legs, hoisting him into the nearest grave.

Moving the second body into its own grave, they quickly proceeded to re-shovel the soil back into the graves, wanting to process to be over with as quickly as possible and soon the only sign of the two bodies resting there were two mounds of dirt.

Staring down at the graves, Wells took a deep breath next to her. “May we meet again,” he said solemnly, and Alex echoed the words quietly, hands grasping her elbows tightly, trying to not think about the familiar face she’d seen - imagined? - on the body.

It hadn’t been him. It _wasn’t_ him. This boy had died on the drop ship, had died due to his own stupidity. The face, the blood, the injury; they were just memories, hallucinations, or _something_ from years ago.

Shaking her head, she forced the dark thoughts out of her head. She couldn’t afford to think about him right now; she still needed to tell Wells about the people she’d seen by the river.

“C’mon,” she said, nodding her head back the way they’d come as she slipped on her jacket. Once on, she hastily stuffed her tightly clenched fists into her pockets, trying to ignore the way they trembled. “Let’s...Let’s head back.” She mumbled to him, worrying her lip before continuing “I told Charlotte and Jemma that I would help them build shelter a while ago. They’re probably wondering where the hell I went...” She kept her gaze down, away from his searching eyes.

_Please don’t ask. Please don’t ask._

Wells nodded slowly, leaning down to pick up one of the bundles of clothes off the floor and passed it over to her. Shoving the items under one arm she took one of the pairs of boots and quickly tied the laces together before slinging them over her shoulders. Glancing up at Wells, she met his worried gaze, and instantly knew he was going to say something about her momentary panic attack and shifted on her feet nervously.

_Say something!_

“I saw people down by the river.” Alex blurted out before she could stop herself. Rubbing her hands together she saw Wells give her a ‘So what’ look, clearly not seeing her point. Opening her mouth to answer, she hesitated, wondering how he would react to the information. _None of the others seemed to believe me…_

_You say you saw them, but did you really?_ A nasty voice whispered in the back of her mind. _Are you sure that is what you saw? After all, you just ‘saw’ Liam’s face on that dead boy. And you know he isn’t here._

“They...they weren’t part of our group, Wells,” she told him slowly, cautiously.

There was a beat of silence, and she cringed slightly, waiting for his answer.

“Not part of our group?” Wells asked her dubiously, like he couldn’t understand the meaning of the statement and Alex felt a flash of irritation shoot through her. He wore the same expression Blake, Nathan and all the others wore when they’d called her a _liar._ Was it really so difficult to understand?

_Or maybe you didn’t see anything at all...maybe you’re hallucinating...going crazy...seeing people who aren’t really there..._

She tried to hold back a shudder at the thought. No! She had to believe in what she saw. They’d been there. They _were_ real.

“Yes, not part of our group.” She snapped back before gritting her teeth. Seeing his surprised look at way she’d snapped back at him, she sighed. “Look, I’m sorry for snapping. I’ve just already had this arguement with Blake and the others. Please don’t make me do it again. Can’t you just believe me when I say that I saw two people down by the river, that weren’t our own?”

Wells looked perplexed as he frowned at her. “How can you be sure they weren’t one of us?”

“Well for starters one of them was an old woman.” Alex shot back, glaring up at him. “I really don’t think the Ark sent down an old lady with us!”

Wells gave her a smirk, shaking his head, clearly thinking she was joking, but his smirk dropped when her expression didn’t change. “Wait - you’re serious?” He said, staring at her incredulously.

“Don’t you think we’d have noticed if there had been an old woman with us? Besides there hasn’t been a delinquent that old in a really long time,” she stated raising an eyebrow, staring back at him intently.

His shoulders sagged slowly. “Of course, you’re being serious,” he stated, before realization slowly dawned and he sank back against the tree behind him, staring numbly at the plant littered ground.

“There’re survivors?” He mumbled to himself. “But how…” His mind was racing to try and put the pieces together, to digest this new information. After a minute, he pushed himself up, catching her eye. “Alex, don’t you understand what this means?” His voice rising in pitch as he stepped towards her, grasping her elbows and giving her an excited shake.

“It means there are people here?” She asked dryly.

“Well, yeah,” he replied, not losing his enthusiasm. “It also means that we can survive down here.” He let her go and began to pace. “Maybe we could get in contact with them. They could teach us how to survive, maybe how to hunt and scavenge.” He mumbled, now talking to himself, rubbing a hand over his chin in contemplation.

A flash of the male grounders glare, bow clenched tightly in hand flashed across her mind. “We can’t get ahead of ourselves here, Wells,” she told him hesitantly.

Although the prospect of not having to worry about dying of radiation poisoning _was_ pretty exciting, she still didn’t know what to make of the other group of people. While the older woman had looked friendly enough, the male grounder certainly _didn’t_. He was younger, stronger and clearly ready for battle. “Friendly or not, we don’t really know their motives,” she said. It was the only thing she could think of to bring him down without causing him worry. She liked his enthusiasm.

It was far better than him calling her a liar.

“But we’re going to have to be smart about things.” She hummed thoughtfully. “If we do come across them again, maybe we can try to communicate? But for now, I guess we’re on somewhat equal ground: we know they’re here and they know we’re here.”

Wells seemed to contemplate what she said before nodding. “That’s true. They’re probably wary of us too. I mean, we _did_ technically fall from the sky. What if they think we’re gods?” Wells sounded both fascinated and oddly proud at the prospect.

Alex gave him an incredulous look, then laughed. “Well, hopefully they think we’re more mortal - like Icarus. I would suck if they tried to test out ‘immortality,” she teased.

Wells laughed, nodding his head. “Yeah, good point.” He tilted his head to one side, clearly still fantasizing about the idea.

After a moment, she glanced at Wells. “Either way, we should keep an eye out. Come on, let’s head back.”

With one last glance at the graves, she turned and headed back towards the drop ship, Wells at her heels.

The area around the dropship was alive with movement. Quickly ducking out of the way of some running teenagers, Alex frowned as she caught sight of a couple, lips locked tightly together, completely oblivious to the world around them. While displays of affection hardly bothered her - although they could have picked a better time and place - she would be mortified if she were caught exposing her affection for anyone so openly.

Catching Wells gaze with her own, they both rolled their eyes in exasperation before continuing the trudge up the hill. Apparently, the rest of the delinquents weren’t too worried about finding food or making shelter.

When a group of boys who’d been roughhousing in the dirt suddenly raced towards them, they both had to dance out of the way to avoid getting run over.

“So annoying.” She grumbled to herself, and Wells snorted in agreement next to her as they arrived at the ramp. Before they could head up, a dark haired boy stepped in their way, stopping them from going up. Although she didn’t know him well, she remember him as Atom, a boy a year below her in classes.

Alex tried to step around him, but he put out his arm, blocking her path and glancing between her and Wells with a cocky smirk.

“Not so fast, Evans.” Atom spoke down at her, tilting his head curiously as he eyed the bundles in their arms. “I want to know where you guys got all goodies.”

Not in the mood to deal with idiotic teenage boys, Alex gritted her teeth. “Look, it’s none of your fucking business. Get out of my way.” Stepping up to go around him, she was momentarily startled when his hand closed tightly around her upper arm and yanked her back, nearly pulling her off her feet. Stumbling back, she managed to catch herself before she could fall and her shock rapidly morphed into anger. With a snarl she whirled around to glare up at him, fist clenched tightly at her side.

Before she could deck Atom in the face, Wells quickly stepped up, forcing his way between the two of them, with a placating gesture, forcing Atoms hand off her arm. “Whoa, okay. Let her go man. We got the clothes from the two boys who died on the way down.”

A flash of sympathy crossed Atom’s face, and Alex could tell it was anything but sincere. “Oh yeah. It’s pretty terrible that they didn’t make it.” He shrugged like he didn’t care at all that they hadn’t made it. “Since they won’t be needing their stuff anymore, I could take it off your hands. There’s always a market for...” As he trailed off his hand snaked out and tried to grasp the boots Wells was holding onto, nearly pulling them out of Wells hands before Wells shook him off.

“Hey! Back off,” Alex snapped at him, shoving Atom away from Wells. “This stuff can go to the people who _need_ it.” She glared up at him.

“Oh really? And who is going to decide who needs it? The two of you?” Came a sarcastic drawl from behind them, and Alex cringed at the sound, eyes sliding closed in exasperation. Right now, he was one of the last people she wanted to deal with. Except for Miller; _he_ took the number one spot for people she didn’t want to have at the moment.

Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and Alex turned around to answer the older guy, but whatever she’d gone to say died in her throat.

Standing in front of her was a _very_ shirtless Bellamy Blake. And coming up next to him was a equally half naked girl, her chest barely covered by the thin strip of fabric she was wearing, long straight black hair hanging freely around her shoulders. Her hips swayed deliberately from side to side as she walked up behind Blake. Alex had seen her a few times in passing, but had no idea who she was.

It was clear they’d been having some “fun” in the dropship from the way the girl draped herself around Blake, hand touching and caressing, the girl darting up to capture his lips with her own for a brief kiss.

Trying to ignore the blatant display of lust, Alex swallowed, eyes trying to look anywhere for a distraction away from the two, but her sight trailed over his toned chest, down his well defined abs, and lower still. Despite her dislike of the guy, she could definitely appreciate that he was good looking.

“See something you like, Evans?” Blake baited and her gaze snapped up to meet his own. At being so blatantly called out on her staring, she felt her body heat up in embarrassment, to the point that she was pretty sure she was bright red from head to toe. She tried to ignore the unimpressed look Wells shot her way.

The unnamed girl slid one hand along Blake’s naked shoulders and the other trailed fingers across his chest, leaning in to rest her head on his shoulder. Dark eyes turned to Alex and slowly trailed over her body, studying her. Seemingly pleased by what she saw, a small smirk crossed her face and she turned to Blake.

“Maybe next time she can join us,” she whispered seductively in his ear and Blake gave her a surprised stare before his eyes met Alex’s once more and one of his brows rose questioningly

“What do you think? Want to join us for some _fun?_ There’s always room for one more.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Alex let out a disbelieving snort of laughter, and shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks. There are plenty of other people here I’d rather sleep with other than _you_.”

For a moment, she thought she saw a brief flicker of some expression cross his face, but it was gone before she could discern what it was.

The other girl pouted before leaning up to snatch Blake’s lips in a brief make out session before turning and sauntering down the ramp towards Alex. As she walked by, she flicked her long hair over her shoulder and leaned in close to her.

“Well, if you ever change your mind…” She trailed off suggestively, and with a flirty wink she sauntered away.

Alex stared after the girl, feeling vaguely shocked.

_She’s...She’s hitting on me?_

“Hey!” Wells surprised shout came from next to her and Alex was startled out of her stupor, whirling around to find him empty handed, Atom having snatched the items out of his hands while he was distracted. Wells launched himself forwards to try and wrestle them back, but the other buy was clearly faster on his feet and quickly ducked out of reach.

“You want it back?” Atom laughed, stepping backwards with a mocking laugh, beckoning Wells forward with a hand. “Come on, come on Chancellor! Take it if you can!” Then quickly dodged out of the way when Wells leapt forward once more.

Blake stepped forward warningly, apparently seeing the arising conflict that was going to potentially turn into full blown brawl. “Atom...” he said warningly.

“We only use things based on need!” Wells snarled, fists clenched tightly at his sides, completely ignoring Blake. Alex stepped forward, placing a calming hand on his arm.

“Well, in my personal opinion,” Atom tapped cheek thoughtfully, his entire countenance mocking. “ _they_ need it!” With that he turned around and launched all the items he was holding into the nearby crowd of teenage boys, who all quickly scrambled to pick up what they could, hooting and hollering as wrestled for the boots and clothes.

Alex instinctively tightened her hold on the bundle of clothes in her arms, a scowl crossing her face.

In his anger, Wells whirled around and stormed up to Blake. “Is this want you want?” He demanded, indicating the brawl with a wave of his hand. “Complete chaos? You have no control over anything that’s happening here!”

The smirk that grew on Blake’s face indicated his pleasure at causing Wells so much distress.  Stepping forward, he was nearly nose to nose with Wells, staring him down. “What’s wrong with a little chaos?”

At his casual yet dismissive comment of the issue, her temper flared, whirling and smoldering in her chest.

“You-you _ass_!” She stormed right up to him with a snarl, slamming her bundle of clothes into his stomach, and he hunched over with an ‘oomph!’ “You think this is some kind of game?” She demanded, staring up at him, almost treading on his toes. “If we don’t get organized and get our shit together, we’re all. going. to die.”

Bellamy rolled his eyes, smirking down at her. “Well, Evans. What I think is that you need to let loose every once in awhile.” He leaned down towards her until their faces were only inches apart. Alex gritted her teeth, but refused to let him intimidate her. She also had to make a conscious effort to not think too much about the fact that he was so close and still _so_ shirtless. He looked amused at her defiance. Leaning down further, his lips brushed the side of her ear. “You know, let a little chaos into your life. You never know...you might like it.” He whispered suggestively, breath ghosting over the skin of her neck.

She subconsciously swallowed as goosebumps rippled across her skin. “No, thanks Blake. I’m not interested in your kind of chaos.”

He hummed, “Are you sure? Come on Evans, what are you so afraid of? What makes you think I’m not in control?”

A shrill scream pierced the air, the panicked high pitched sound making everyone to freeze. Blake’s head snapped up at the sound, focusing on the area it had come from, a harsh frown crossing his face.

_What the hell was that?_

Startled, Alex moved away from Blake and turned towards the sound, wondering where exactly it had come from.

“Help me! Someone! Please!” Came a second desperate cry, and Alex instinctively raced towards the plea, feeling Blake, Wells and a few other following at her heels.

Coming around a tree, she froze at the sight in front of her, stomach dropping down somewhere below her feet. She heard Blake, Wells and the rest of the crowd stop just behind her as they caught saw what was going on.

Murphy was standing behind a trembling, sobbing girl, holding her arms tightly behind her back with one hand, the other braced against the back of her head, keeping her face only inches away from the flickering flames of the fire.

As Murphy looked fairly gleeful at the attention his actions were getting him, and when his eyes landed on Blake, a delighted but sinister smirk crossed his features.

“Ah, Blake!” He called in greeting, hold never changing on the pleading and sobbing girl in his arms. “I just had a great idea! So, we want the Ark to think that the ground is killing us, right?” He said, almost conversationally. “Well, I think it would be a bit more believable if we’re suffering a bit first. Don’t you agree?”

Staring in disbelief, her eyes didn’t move from the scene in front of her, as she turned her head towards Blake.

“Still feeling in control?” ****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! :)  
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'The 100'. No profit is being made from this story. Anything you recognize is from the show. Anything you don't recognize is from the depths of my imagination!

Chapter 8

“...It would look better if we suffered a little first.”

It’s official. The guy’s crazy. 

That was the first thought that crossed her mind as she stared at the scene before her.

I’d always thought Murphy was a little bit loose in the head. But this is a whole other level...

And it was clear that she wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the scene before her either; the teenagers that had followed the sound of the screams traded uncertain glances and uneasy murmurs at the sight of Murphy holding the whimpering girl over the fire.

Wells was the first to make a move, storming towards them angrily. “Let her go!” he shouted. He violently shoved Murphy in an attempt to get the teen off the girl, but it ended up sending both of them tumbling to one side. At least they were away from the fire.

Alex hurried over, pulling the still sobbing and trembling girl gently away from the other two, away from the fire. “Hey, hey. You’re alright,” she whispered soothingly to her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders, even as she stared at the broiling conflict in front of her with steely eyes. 

After shoving Murphy away, Wells had whirled around to face Blake, body tensed like a coil, ready for a fight. “You can stop this.” The comment was said almost pleadingly; he was clearly banking on Bellamy being the saner, smarter of the two.

As Wells turned his back to Murphy, a jolt of panic coursed through her. Why would he turn his back on him?

You idiot! What are you doing?! 

And she was right to be worried. Murphy had quickly shoved himself to his feet, his face set in a nasty snarl, clearly intending to take advantage of Wells vulnerability. 

As Murphy advanced towards Wells, she could see Blake glance at him over Wells’ shoulder, a self-assured smirk growing across his face. “Stop this?” He asked with a laugh. “I’m just getting started.”

“Wells, behind you!” She yelled in warning. Head snapping around at the sound of her voice, Wells whirled to face Murphy, just in time to get decked across the jaw, sending him staggering back even as Murphy continued to advance. Before Wells had a chance to regain his bearings, Murphy kneed him in the gut, and Wells folded, spluttering and coughing as he tried to regain his breath

Worry filled her as Alex stared at the fight. She needed to help, she needed to do something...anything. Letting the other girl slide out from underneath her arm and onto the mossy ground, Alex quickly reached down and pulled her knife out of the side of her boot, wondering if she was going to have to use it to save Wells’ life. 

As she took a step forwards, the other girl grabbed onto her hand tightly, pulling her back, away from the fight. Turning to meet the girls scared gaze, she gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She knew the girl wanted her to stay, but she knew she would never forgive herself if Wells got hurt when she could have prevented it.

With startling aggressiveness, Wells whirled around slamming his fist into the other boy’s nose, a stomach-turning crack filling the air as Murphy went crashing to the ground. Alex cringed at the clear sound, she was pretty sure Murphy was sporting a nice broken nose by now.

Murphy staggered back to his feet, spitting some of the blood out of his mouth because of his bloodied, broken nose. Stepping forward, he launched himself at Wells, tackling him around the middle, sending them both crashing to the ground. Murphy quickly pinned Wells beneath him, pressing his knee tightly against Wells’ arms. Defenceless, Wells’ was unable to protect himself, allowing Murphy to repeatedly slam his fists into Wells’ face. 

Alex’s hand tightened around her knife and she took her first step forward to help Wells. He surprised her when he bucked his hips, throwing Murphy off and onto the ground. He quickly followed through, launching himself across his attacker, elbowing him in the stomach before drawing his hand back and slamming his fist right into Murphy’s temple. 

The other boy went limp, the blow had nearly knocked him out. Head lolled from one side to the other, groaning and blinking slowly, almost bleary. At the abrupt turn of events, the crowd went from cheering on the fight to voicing their annoyance at the outcome.

He won? Alex’s mind didn’t know how to process that information. The fight had started and ended so quickly she’d barely had time to react.

Wells staggered to his feet, panting, and wiped the back of his hand across his bloody lip, leaving a red smear across his face.

Alex moved towards him cautiously, keeping a safe distance from the downed Murphy, who groaned pathetically as she walked by him, her switchblade still in hand. Coming up behind Wells, she took place at his shoulder facing Bellamy, who stood before them. Wells momentarily glanced back at her, and she could tell that the short fight had clearly drained him.

Bellamy stood almost awkwardly in front of them, looking like he was trying to keep his cool despite the fact that Wells had won the fight. Alex felt a flare of anger course through her when she noticed that he had thrown on the blue shirt she helped Well pull off one of the dead boys.

“You- you have no control over what’s happening here,” Wells panted. “You think you do. But the reality is that there is nothing you can do to control people like him,” he continued, pointing at the downed Murphy. “Is this what you want? People like him...torturing everyone, because he feels like it?”

Bellamy stared darkly back at Wells. “Control? Oh, Chancellor. I think you’re missing the point.” He stepped up to Wells until they were almost nose to nose. “Torture? Maybe not. But roughing people up a little to send a message back to the Ark? I think it’s well worth it.” He paused, smirking down at Wells. “Although, I see your point. She wouldn’t have been the first person on my list to send a message.” He stared pointedly at Wells before glancing at Alex, eyes dark, hostile.

Alex shifted uncomfortably, a shiver crawling down her back. He’s bluffing. There’s no way he would do it…Or would he? Her thoughts questioned darkly. You don’t know anything about this guy, or Murphy, or any of them really. After all, why’s he here in the first place? Would he really go as far as torturing people to stop the rest of the Ark from following? She wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t, and she didn’t want to find out.

She tensed up when Bellamy’s gaze slid past them, feeling Wells do the same. She heard the distinct scuff of boots on the ground, but before she had a chance to turn, she was shoved, Wells having pushed her out of the way of an incoming Murphy. Landing heavily on her side, the air was knocked forcefully from her lungs. Coughing, she rolled onto her back, desperate to keep an eye on what was happening, fortunately, her knife still in hand.

“You’re dead,” Murphy spat, glaring at Wells, before darting forwards with a slash, aimed at Wells middle, clearly looking to disembowel the other boy. Wells leapt back in a panicked movement, barely dodging the sharp blade. He watched Murphy with wary eyes, gaze darting down to the deadly weapon now in Murphy’s possession. He barely had time to pause before Murphy had leapt at him again, this time aiming higher, deadlier.

Definitely not good!

Alex pushed herself up to her feet, looking to give Wells a hand. She took a step forwards but before she could do anything an arm slid around her middle, tightening across her stomach and pinning one of her arms to her side. The grip forced her back against a firm, solid chest. Alex’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest at the sudden and unexpected attack, and with a panicked movement, swung the hand which wielded her knife backward towards her attacker. But the lack of momentum at the awkward angle worked against her, and soon her wrist was trapped in her attackers stronger grip. 

“Always putting up a fight, aren’t you, Evans?” Bellamy’s voice came from beside her ear, almost a purr.

“Blake - let me go,” she ordered, heart pounding in her chest, nervous that Wells was only narrowly escaping each slash. She didn’t dare think that Bellamy’s close proximity added to her emotions.

“No, I don’t think I will,” he hummed. “See? You and Wells are really starting to get on my nerves. So you and I are going to watch as Wells get taught a lesson. Maybe then you guys will learn your new place in the world.”

She shivered at the dark tone his voice had taken. Testing his grip, she tried moving her trapped wrist, but winced when he warningly dug his thumb into the side of her wrist.

She needed to change tactics, he was clearly not going to let her go. Maybe is she got him to focus more on the fight, lower his guard, then she’d be able to make her move.“This is hardly a fair fight,” she told him pointedly, shoulders tense, cringing when Wells got slashed in the upper arm. 

After a second of deliberation, Bellamy nodded and she could feel the motion in her shoulder. “True.” His hand that held her wrist slid down to her own, although he never slackened his grip, instead trapping her own hand around the hilt of the knife. 

When he began to pull her arm up and towards her face she began to struggle, trying to pull herself away from his chest, panic flaring through her. “What - what are you doing?” She panted.

“Relax,” he said soothingly, pulling her hand up towards her face, towards her exposed neck. 

Oh God, oh God. He’s going to do it, he’s going to slit my throat and leave me for dead. 

She was shocked when he abruptly changed his grip on her hand, twisting. With a hiss of pain, her hold on the knife slackened and the next thing she knew, he had her blade.

She froze, pushing back against his chest. “You-”

“Don’t move,” he said sharply, holding the knife in one hand, his other arm snug around her body, pinning her back to his chest. “Or Wells will really have an unfair fight on his hands.”

She wasn’t sure quite what he meant, but she wasn’t willing to find out.

“Murphy. Jaha. Enough,” Bellamy barked above her head, his voice deep, commanding.

She watched as the scowl on Murphy’s face deepened, and he slashed at Wells again. She wondered if he was going to prove them right by ignoring Bellamy’s order. But after the motion he took a step back and glanced at them, Well’s doing the same in his confusion as to why the other boy had stopped attacking. Both boys froze at the sight of her trapped in Bellamy’s arms, knife poised at her throat. 

Wells looked worried, he must have been able to see the panic she felt. “Let her go!” 

“No.” Was Bellamy’s simple response.

Murphy smirked at the scene, rolling his shoulders. “What do you want Bellamy? Can’t you see I’m busy.”

“I think it’s fair to even up the odds of this fight a little bit. So Evan’s here is going to be donating her knife to Wells.” 

From Murphy’s frown, he didn’t think it was a good idea. At all. “What? Why would you give him a knife?” He demanded.

“Is that going to be a problem, Murphy?” Bellamy asked calmly, but even Alex could tell there was an undercurrent of something more threatening.

After a moment of deliberation, Murphy shook his head. “Not at all.” He smirked. “Besides, the Chancellor probably won’t know what to do with it. You do know which end is the handle, right?” He mocked Wells. 

Alex felt her shoulder sag in relief. She didn’t understand why Bellamy was giving Wells a chance to fight back and defend himself, but she wasn’t going to point out his sudden charity, for fear he’d change his mind or throw the knife too far from Wells to get.

Charity? Yeah, right. The word sounded ridiculous even in her own head.

It might not completely even things out, but it was something. 

As Wells glanced at her and met her gaze, she steeled her expression, recomposing herself so that the panic she felt didn’t make it onto her face. She could be alright. She would be, if he needed her to be.

Flipping the knife so that he held the blade of the knife, In one smooth motion, Bellamy flung the blade at the ground, the tip digging into the soft earth not far from Wells’ feet.

Wells looked uncertain, glancing between her, the blade and Murphy, like he didn’t know what to do about the situation. When he met her gaze, she gave him a firm nod, and he looked reassured by her calm response, turning back to face Murphy.

She felt relieved that Bellamy no longer had control of her knife, although he kept his grip on her. However, the threat to Wells life was still as real as ever. Although now he had the protection of the knife, he could defend himself, and hopefully give Murphy what he deserved. She wished she could say the same for herself. 

Wish I had a second knife….If Blake thinks he can threaten me and get away with it, he has another thing coming.

Murphy motioned impatiently to the blade, clearly telling Wells to pick it up, shifting from side to side, fidgeting with the knife in hand. The gleam in his eyes almost predatory. 

As soon as Wells ducked down to retrieve the blade, Murphy struck, leaping forward, bringing his arms down in a stabbing motion, aiming for Wells’ exposed back. Wells wrapped a hand around the hilt and rolled to the side, swiftly dodging the deadly strike. He was quick to retaliate, and while he was still kneeling, pivoted and swiped at the other boy’s thighs, forcing Murphy to dance out of the way.

As the new, more exciting fight broke out, the crowd that had gathered around the clearing began to cheering and holler. The chant of “Fight! Fight!” filled the air.

The two boy slashed and dodged each other’s blows, Bellamy kept his arm around her middle, hand resting on her waist, stopping Alex from interfering with the fight. As she shifted from one foot to another, he leaned down, his head coming to rest next to hers. His toned chest pressed closely against her back. She could feel his heart beat through her shirt.

“I can feel your impatience, Evans.” He laughed breathlessly in her ear. His hair tickling the side of her face. “I know you’re itching to join the fight. You want to hit something.”

She ground her teeth. It was true, she did want to hit something. And although she gladly entertained the idea of punching Murphy across the face, there were other faces in the near vicinity that deserved a beating. Besides, this guy was an arrogant asshole.

“I don’t need to join their fight to hit something,” she sneered, and threw her elbow back into his stomach. As he folded, she whirled in his grip, raising a fist, ready to smash it into his nose. Maybe then he won’t have such a stupid pretty face.

Unfortunately, she must have not hit him hard enough, because as she swung at him, he ducked, her fist only grazing the side of his face. His hand struck out like a snake, latching onto her wrist - now he had both of her wrist in a tight grip. She struggled, leaning back and tugging, but he was unyielding. When he suddenly yanked her forwards, she was thrown off balance and nearly off her feet, crashing into his chest. Gaze jolting up to meet his own, she found dark brown eye glaring down at her, a dangerous glint in them.

“That wasn’t very nice.” His voice was low.

Her lip twitched into a snarl. “Didn’t like it? Then let. me. go.”

“Yes, Blake. Let her go,” Wells’ voice came from nearby. At his commanding tone, Alex and Bellamy turned to face him.

Surprise and pride filled her at the sight of Well standing behind Murphy, one arm wrapped tightly around the other boys neck, her own blade poised at his throat. From the crowd’s murmurs of disbelief, it became apparent that while she and Bellamy had been arguing, Wells had won.

Alex could feel Bellamy tense up behind her, his hold around her tightening, the muscles in his arms going rigid. There was a tense silence as the two boys studied each other, waiting for the other one to flinch.

Bellamy decided to make the first move. “Or what, Chancellor? You going to kill him?” He challenged knowingly.

Bellamy knew just like the rest of them that Wells wasn’t one to hurt others. Fighting to protect himself, to protect others, was one thing. Being challenged to kill someone was an entirely different ball game.

Fortunately for Wells, the decision as to how to proceed was taken from him when a new voice spoke up from outside the crowd. 

“Wells? Blake? What the hell are you guys doing?” Clarke demanded as she marched into the clearing.

Although the situation wasn’t fully resolved, Alex felt a weight lift off her shoulders knowing that the other group was back, and they were safe, maybe now they’d be able to focus on surviving instead of their stupid petty squabbles.

Wells almost looked ashamed at the accusatory tone Clarke had taken with him, and quickly shoved Murphy away from him in disgust. In response, Alex felt Bellamy’s hold around her slacken, and the moment she had the leeway to move, she roughly pulled away, coolness replacing the previous warmth at her back. Ignoring the chill that worked its way up her spine, she turned to glare up at him, but instead found his attention entirely focused elsewhere.

Turning to follow his gaze, she found him staring with concern at Octavia, who was limping into the clearing behind Clarke, helped along by a weary looking Monty. Alex could see Finn not too far behind them, brow set in a serious frown.

Her eyebrows furrowed in concern. Something was wrong. She could feel it. But she couldn’t put a finger on what was out of place. Something about the tenseness in all of their shoulders, set off alarms in her head.

“Octavia!” Bellamy said as he dove forward, quickly grabbing Octavia’s other arm, helping her down the slope and to the nearest log. “Are you alright?” He asked, concerned eyes scanning over her figure, searching for any signs as to what was causing her pain.

Octavia gave a pained grimace before smiling up at her brother. “Yeah.”

Bellamy studied her expression with a frown, before whirling around to glare at Clarke. “What happened? Where’s the food?” He demanded.

Finn sat down slowly on a nearby log. “We never made it to Mount Weather.” 

What? But... they were gone for so long, they should have easily made it there and back again. Come to think of it, now that she looked around, she noticed that none of them had any extra supplies with them. Instead she took in their weary and roughed up appearances, not to mention the fact that Octavia was clearly favouring one leg.

Shaking her head, for a moment Alex felt disoriented, her mind trying to catch up with what was going on around her, feeling like she’d experienced some form of whiplash. One second she was trying to figure out how to help Wells stay alive, and the next she is trying to get her head around the fact that Clarke and the rest were back, and that they’d never made it to Mount Weather.

What the hell happened out there?

She wasn’t the only one in disbelief. “What the hell happened out there?” Bellamy demanded, echoing her own thoughts, frowning down at Finn before glancing at Clarke.

“We were attacked.” Clarke said, the worry in her expression was clear.

Alex felt cold dread wash through her. There was something in the way that Clarke had said they had been attacked that implied it hadn’t been by some wild animal. No, there was only one other possibility that she was talking about.

The people by the river.

“Attacked? By what?” Wells asked Clarke hurriedly, looking concerned as he glanced around the group.

“Not by what. Who,” Finn stated. “It turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, well, he wasn’t the last Grounder.”

Grounders. Yeah...Grounders sounds like as good name as any. Now who was saying I’m crazy? She felt a small sense of relief at the confirmation that she had actually seen the people down by the river, that she wasn’t going crazy. Seeing the Grounders, then seeing Liam’s face on that body had sent a sliver of doubt through her. What if she was losing her mind?

But she wasn’t, at least not about the Grounders.

Feeling reassured, she turned and shot a pointed and distinctly ‘i-told-you-so’ look in Bellamy’s direction, managing to catch his eye. He only rolled his eyes in response. 

As Alex turned her attention back to Clarke, he thoughts faltered as she realized what had been said. “Wait - they attacked you guys?” 

If they’d been attacked by the other people, Earth’s remaining survivors, then things could get really complicated for the group real quickly. Not only would food and water be a priority for them, but they’d need to figure out a way to defend themselves. Right now, there was nothing keeping the Grounders away, nowhere for them hide behind and protect themselves. The drop ship was too small for anything other than immediate protection. 

Trina and Pascal haven’t been seen since we landed....The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

This was a whole new level of problems they’d have to figure out.

“What?” Clarke asked stepping towards her. “Did you see someone?” She looked like even though she was asking the question she was already dreading the answer.

“I - Yeah. There were - I saw people down by the river.” Alex noted the way the people from the expedition group exchanged wary glances.

“What?!” Clarke repeated, this time her voice held a tinge of panic in it as she stepped forwards placing her hands on Alex’s shoulders. “Are you alright?” She demanded, her gaze running over Alex’s frame, clearly looking for any signs of injury or discomfort. 

Stunned at Clarke concern over her wellbeing, Alex nodded quickly in reply. Clarke dropped her arms, releasing a big sigh of relief, before a serious look fell back over her features.

“Did they see you? What did they do - what did you do?” Clarke continued, hurriedly, looking like she didn’t know which question she wanted answered first.

“Well, honestly, they just stood there for a minute and then went back to whatever they were doing beforehand,” Alex shrugged. “I was on the other side of the river, so it wasn’t like I could get close enough to talk to them,” she continued.

“You were by yourself?” Clarke asked incredulously, and when Alex cringed, giving her a grimace of a smile, she shook her head, massaging her forehead before continuing. “You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know. Did you tell anyone about it?”

Alex scowled, “I tried to. But some people weren’t willing to listen.” She shot Bellamy a glare.

Finn frowned up at her, looking almost perplexed, “So they didn’t do anything? Didn’t try to attack you?”

“Attacked, no. They actually didn’t do anything except stand there.“ She shrugged. “They seemed fairly harmless to me.” Sure, they had bows, arrows, and swords, but those could easily be used for hunting.

Hunting. The word sent a shiver down her spine as she looked at the returning group. They looked more than worried- they looked scared, as if they’d been hunted or attacked by something that they had no defense against. The only person who seemed to be proof that they’d been attacked was Octavia and her injury. 

The returning groups’ shoulders tensed at her words, and her uneasy feeling returned. Alex counted the group again, despite having done it earlier. She just had to make sure everyone was here. A crown creased her forehead. Hadn’t five of them left for Mount Weather?

Oh no...

“It’s true,” Clarke continued after the pause. “There are people here, survivors. The good news is, the radiation won’t kill us. We can survive here.”

...Their weary expressions, Clarke’s panic when I told her I’d seen others, the haunted look in Monty’s eye….

Her eye darted around, searching for any sign of the familiar goggles, dread welling up within her when she couldn’t see them anywhere.

Finn took a breath. Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it. “...The bad news is, the grounders will.”

No...

Alex couldn’t hold back her question anymore. “Clarke, where’s Jasper?” She demanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, please leave a note and let me know what you thought! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own The 100.

Forcing the point of her knife through a large sections of the parachute, Alex roughly tore through, easily ripping the material to a size that would be decent enough to make some form of stretcher. From what Clarke had said, Jasper wouldn’t be walking back on his own. They would need it.

Wells had given it back to her not long after the fight with Murphy had come to an end. Surprisingly, things had settled down pretty quickly when Clarke and the rest arrived back at the drop ship, although the momentary peace hadn’t lasted very long, not when Clarke had noticed the missing wristbands. Alex sighed, remembering the scene, which had involved an awful lot of finger pointing and ‘you’re an idiot’ comments.

And now we’re going for Jasper.

The thought left a sour taste in her mouth. Clarke and the rest had returned bearing an abundance of bad news. Not only had they not made it to Mount Weather - which meant no food and no supplies - they’d also arrived with one less member than the number they’d originally set out with.

Jemma and Charlotte sat not too far away from her, both alternating between watching her work and whispering to each other.

Alex had finally come to fetch them from Harper, who’d been grateful to have them off her hands, but had whispered to her quietly that she’d managed to keep them away from the commotion with Murphy. Harper told her she’d seen her help save the other girl, her friend - whose name turned out to be Fox - and was glad she’d had the balls to step up to Murphy when no one else did. Harper had given her a smile and a small squeeze on the shoulder leaving Alex perplexed to the other girl’s change in attitude. The other girl had always been fairly friendly, but the usual wariness under her expression was gone.

The repeated motion of pulling and tearing soothed her mind, calming her thoughts. Staring blankly at the material in her hands, she rolled the rough material through her fingertips, trying to avoid thinking about the fact that Jasper could possibly be lying somewhere out in the forest, bleeding out, maybe already dead.

Her fists clenched at the thought. She hadn’t know the other teen any longer than she’d known most of the other delinquents, but he’d been the first person she’d talked to on the dropship. Although their conversation had been short, she’d known he’d meant well, showing concern for Jemma when she was scared, and risking his life to help the others go the Mount Weather to get food for the group.

He meant well, and look where it got him.

No, don’t think about it. One step at a time. Clarke said they heard him cry out, there’s still a chance that he’s alive. We just need to get our shit together and get this search party going. We need to get him back.

“Alex?” The tentative question interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced up, meeting Jemma and Charlotte’s worried gazes. Apparently they’d moved closer while she’d been distracted by her thoughts.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Jemma shuffled forwards, hands clasped firmly in front of her. “Is Jasper going to be okay?” The question came out tentative, like she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to know the answer.

Alex hesitated, studying them for a second. What could she tell them? What should she tell them? They were easily the youngest in the entire group of delinquents - still children - but they were no longer living in a world where they were protected, where they were safe. She could tell them white lies - tell them that Jasper would be okay, that he’d be fine- but she knew it wouldn’t help them. They needed to be wary; they needed to know the truth if they were going help keep themselves alive.

So she settled for a better option.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Alex replied softly with a sigh. When Jemma and Charlotte exchanged a worried glance, she hurried to continue. “But we’re going to go find out. Clarke and some of the other are planning to go find him - bring him back.”

When Jemma said nothing in return, Alex frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just...I’m scared. What if the Grounders come here, what if they attack us again? What if they aren’t people, what if they’re monsters. They could come…” Jemma continued to ramble on, and Alex could see she was working herself up into a panic, tears filling her eyes.

Standing up she knelt in front of the younger girl, pulling her into a quick hug. “Hey, hey. None of that.” She met Charlotte’s worried look over Jemma’s shoulder and motioned her over with a hand. When Charlotte came close enough, she tugged her towards her other side, throwing her arm over her shoulders.

Running her hands over their braided hair soothingly, as she vaguely remembered her mother doing for her when she was younger and afraid and hoped it would provide the younger girls some form of comfort.

“I know you guys are scared, but remember what I said before, about fear?

Charlotte nodded, face serious. “That fear is good, as long as it doesn’t control us.” Jemma shook her head in agreement, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Alex nodded with a small smile. “That’s right. And I know it’s tough to not be scared, especially right now, but we have to be brave. And we have to stay busy. We have things we need to do right now. We don’t know how Jasper is going to be when we get back. So we have to be prepared for anything.”

Jemma took a deep breath, and Alex could see her putting on her brave face, features hardening, though her bottom lip still quivered a bit.

“Besides,” Alex continued giving them a comforting smile, “If something happens, I’ll protect you guys. So you don’t have to worry.”

Jemma and Charlotte both looked startled at her admission. “You promise?” Charlotte asked her

She gave them a reassuring squeeze “Promise!”

“Is there anything we can do to help...for Jasper, when he gets back?” Charlotte asked her.

Alex thought for a second. “Hmm. Well, maybe you could clean out an area in the drop ship where we can put him when we get back. See if you can make it comfortable, Harper should probably be able to help you-”

“Alex!”

Turning, Alex glanced over her shoulder to see who had called for her, and found Wells marching around the trees towards them. 

She frowned when she felt Charlotte clearly tense up underneath her arm, her little body going stiff and wary.

This was the second time Charlotte reacted oddly to Wells. There was something about the guy that set the younger girl on edge. But for the life of her she just couldn’t figure out what it was. As far as she knew, they’d hadn’t known each other up on the Ark and Wells had never given any indication that he knew the younger girl. She didn’t know what to make of it.

As he approached, Charlotte quickly ducked out from under her arm, stuttering out an excuse about going to help Harper, quickly grabbing Jemma’s arm, and scurried out of sight.

Weird.

She would have to ask her about it when she got back.

Pushing herself to her feet, she brushed her pants off and looked up to meet Wells gaze. She nearly rolled her eyes at the irritated look on his face. Clarke had been back for just over an hour, and they’d clearly already had some sort of argument. She knew that they’d been the best of friends back on the Ark, and not for the first time she wondered what had happened to change their friendship.

Seeing her amused expression, Wells grimaced, running a hand over his head in frustration. “She doesn’t want me to go.”

Giving him a sympathetic grimace, she was about to ask him if he planned on going to go or not, but he quickly continued before she could voice her thoughts. 

“Not only that, she’s invited Blake along for the rescue.”

She blinked, the words taking a moment to sink in. When they did, it felt like a slap to the face. “What? Why would she-”

“And not only that, but he’s dragging Murphy along with him.” He barrelled on with a moan.

“Is she insane?” She demanded, wondering what the hell Clarke was thinking. “That’s basically asking for trouble. And let me guess, Blake graciously agreed to come along?”

Wells nodded in reply, looking like his world was coming to an end.

“Of course he would.” Alex groaned, “This would be the perfect time for him to do something.” Bending down, she quickly folded up the piece of parachute she’d been cutting up into a tight ball before wedging it under her arm. “Come on,” she motioned for him to follow her, “Let’s go try and talk some sense into that girl.”

Dodging their way through camp, they quickly found Clarke standing with Finn, Blake and Murphy. Octavia sat not too far away, pant leg pulled up above the wound on her thigh, which she was pressing a fairly clean cloth onto.

Clarke glanced over at them when they arrived, her face darkening momentarily as her gaze settled on Wells. When she turned to Alex, she quirked an eyebrow. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded, “But...can I talk to you for a second?” When Blake and Murphy turned to give them interested looks, she scowled before meeting Clarke’s perplexed look. “Alone.”

“Sure,” the other blonde replied, motioning her to follow her a short distance away from the rest. “What’s up?”

“You invited Blake and Murphy?” Alex demanded struggling to keeping her voice low. “Doesn’t that seem like a terribly bad idea to you?”

Clarke looked torn between scowling and sighing. “I know it’s a bad idea. But right now we are desperately lacking on manpower.”

“Lacking manpower? Are you kidding me.” Alex hissed back, throwing out her arms in frustration, “You could have picked any other two guys in the camp if you needed more manpower, but you picked them - why?”

Clarke seemed to debate on how to answer her question before finally sighing, “Blake has a gun.”

A gun?

A lead weight seemed to drop into her stomach as she recalled Wells mentioning to her that Blake had a gun, back when she’d found out that he’d forcefully removed Wells’ wristband. At the time she’d been so mad, too angry to care.

She’d forgotten all about it. Stupid.

“Right.” Alex said, rubbing her hands over her face in frustration. “And you want him there in case we run into the Grounders.” It came out more as a statement than a question. “And he’s the only one that can use it. Wait, can he use it?”

Clarke shrugged, “I overheard someone say that he was part of the Cadets back on the Ark, so I’d assume so.”

Biting her lip, Alex studied Clarke for a moment, and she could see that the other girl didn’t like this as much as she did.

“Look, I don’t like this.” Alex told her, worry clear in her voice. “I don’t trust him at all. He has an agenda of some sort - he’s pretty much desperate to get everyone's wristbands off since the moment we got here. I mean, he even forced Wells to take his off.”

“He did?” Clarke asked looking momentarily stunned.

“Yeah,” Alex said dryly. “He definitely didn’t take it off willingly.”

“Oh,” Clarke mumbled, glancing back to where Wells stood.

Alex was tempted to tell her to talk to Wells, that they needed to figure out what was going on between them. It was clear when she talked to either of them that they still cared for one another, although Clarke was putting on a good show of denying it. But she knew that it wasn’t her place to say anything. They’d been friends for a long time, so whatever had happened between them must have been damaging. Maybe similar to what had happened between her and Nate.

Instead she focused on the more imminent issue.

“We’re going to need to be careful out there.” She needlessly informed the other girl, who nodded in agreement. “The Grounders will be out there, probably watching us, so we need to keep an eye out, make sure we don’t walk into anything.”

Clarke grimaced, the flash of guilt crossing her features. Alex knew instantly that she was thinking about Jasper.

Stepping forwards, she placed a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s not your fault. There no way you could have known,” she told her firmly.

“But I got him to come. And now Jasper might be...He might be…” Clarke trailed off, taking a deep shuddering breath.

“But he’s not,” she replied soothingly, “You said it yourself, you heard him cry out. Dead people don’t do that,” she told her rationally. “Now let’s get this show on the road and go find him, yeah?”

Clarke took another deep breath, this time nodding her head firmly. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.”

Turning they both headed back towards where the rest were waiting. Although it was pretty clear that some were pretty impatient to get going.

“Finished your girly moment?” Murphy sneered from where he stood, arms folded cockily across his chest.

“Shut your mouth, Murphy.” Alex snapped back.

“Ohhh,” He leaned towards her, purposely getting in her space. “Touchy!”

Alex forced herself to keep calm, knowing he was purposely trying to rile her up. “Want me to re-break that nose?” She asked him dryly. “I could fix it for you. It probably just needs to be broken in the other direction to straighten out again. Shouldn’t be too hard.” She reached a hand out towards his face.

Jerking back and away from her, he smacked her hand. “Keep your hands to yourself, Evans.”

Turning away, she rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t be a problem.” She grumbled. 

>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks so much for reading, please leave a comment below! :)


	10. Chapter 10

Staring at the scene in front of her, Alex took a shaky breath, shock rushing through her. The hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end; her stomach twisting around itself and knotting up, the unpleasant feeling reminiscent of taking a punch to the gut - chest aching, breath frozen in her lungs.

Who...How could anyone do this?

Jasper was strung up in a tree, skin sickly and ashen, covered in a shimmering sheen of sweat. His hands had been bound tightly above his head with rough looking rope, his head sagging lifelessly against the crook of his elbow. His body was held up by nothing but the tightly wound rope which fastened his hips to the tree, keeping his body from falling away. Chest bare, his thin, wiry torso was on full display, the shirt and jacket he’d been wearing when he left the dropship were nowhere in sight. 

Other than his sickly demeanor, she would have nearly said he looked mostly unharmed, his chest unmarred save for a few scattered bruises and bleeding scratches. But she knew better. Her eyes were drawn to the center of his chest, just to the right of his sternum, where a green paste of...something was smeared; the area surrounding it was red, either from residual blood or inflammation, she didn’t know.

The area where Clarke said he’d been struck. 

She wasn’t the only one in shock; she heard the sharp intakes of breath from Clarke, Finn and Wells as they came up behind her. Murphy and Blake stood tense beside her, their shoulders rigid as they stared at Jasper; clearly as troubled about what they’d found as everyone else.

A shaky breath escaped her when Jasper gave a low, pained moan, head shifting slightly, eyelids flickering momentarily before he stilled once more; he didn’t open his eyes. His chest moved, and she frowned when she took note of how laboured each breath was, each lungful seeming to take great effort.

Shock slowly faded into a slight relief. They’d found him. They’d found Jasper, and as of right now, he was alive.

He’s alive… and that’s something we can work with.

But with the feeling of relief came the awareness that finding Jasper had been too simple, too easy. He’d pretty much been strung up and handed to them...all after someone had gone to the effort of putting a spear through his chest in the first place.  
This entire thing could be a trap. A cynical voice whispered in the back of her mind. Hurt one us, let us know that he’s alive, and we all followed back like a faithful bunch of lemmings to the slaughter.

The thought set her on edge. Almost unwillingly, her eyes flickered away from Jasper’s body, and she studied the rest of the clearing, looking for any sign of a trap, or of whoever had left Jasper there for them to find.

The large tree he was tied to was set at the far side of the small clearing, the area between littered with leaves, dry grass and foliage. Everything else was covered in chest height grass, the tips swaying slightly as a gentle breeze broke through the trees.

Nothing. No movement, no signs of anyone else in the area. In fact, there was no indication that anyone had been in the area at all. 

Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned slightly, finding Blake scanning the area as well, brows furrowed warily, as his dark eyes flickered around the clearing. She was glad that she wasn’t the only one who found the whole thing suspicious.

But the more she thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense. If it were a trap, then why keep him alive? We would have come to find him either way...they didn’t have to save him, they could have let him bleed out well before we’d even arrived. 

Whoever had done this had stopped the bleeding, had stopped Jasper from dying. The question was why.

It doesn’t make any sense. Was this just a warning? Telling us we’d come too close, to stay away? Showing us that they have the ability to take one of our lives at any moment, that we’re on ‘their’ territory?

If their intention had been a warning, it was clearly working.

It had been received, loud and clear.

“Oh, my god.” Clarke whispered, interrupting Alex’s internal debate as the other girl pushed past them, her face a blanket of worry as she stared up at Jasper, Finn and Wells slowly echoing her movements.

As Clarke took another step, the ground beyond her caught Alex’s eye. With a frown, she studied the area, wondering why it had set off instant alarms in her head. 

There was something off about the space before them. The grass was too even...too perfect. She couldn’t explain it, but the entire area looked wrong.

This could still be a trap.

“Clarke, wait.” Alex breathed in warning; the words rushed out of her before she even had a chance to think. But the other girl either didn’t appear to hear her, too stunned at the sight of their friend tied to the tree, or was ignoring her.

She’s going to walk right into a trap, hummed her internal voice, the tone casual, like she was making a statement about the weather, instead about watching the other girl possibly walk to her death.

Not going to happen, Alex thought, grim determination filling her.

“Clarke!” She called out again, leaping forwards, diving between Finn and Wells and desperately grasping at the other girls wrist, intent on pulling her away from the hidden danger. Behind her she heard the Blake and Murphy startle at her sudden movement. 

Whirling around to face her, Clarke gave her a startled look as she met Alex’s worried gaze.

Alex yanked the other girl towards her, sending Clarke stumbling, unable to get her feet under her as she lost her balance.

As Clarke fell, Alex’s initial lunge for Clarke sent her staggering forwards, and horror washed through her as she realized she’d taken one step too many. The ground beneath her feet changed; it was too soft, too loose, too hollow.

Shit.

It was hardly surprising when the ground cracked and gave way. 

I’m going to die. Was the simple thought that flowed through her mind.

She barely had time to gasp before she fell, heart lurching up into her throat as she disappeared into the dark hole that opened up beneath her feet.

Time felt like it slowed down around her, and for a moment all she felt was her heart beat, each slow beat like a drum in her head.

Her hair floating in the air around her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

 

A steel hard grip snaked around her wrist, fingers locking painfully around the base of her wristband, digging into the soft flesh of her forearm, halting her descent with startling abruptness.

With a yelp, her ribs slammed painfully into the earthy walls.

Dangling in the open air, her other hand scrambled to find purchase on the muddy walls, fingers slipping and sliding over the slick surface, even as her eyes slid down, past her feet, to the bottom of the pit. A chill swept through her, goose bumps spreading across her skin when her gaze landed on the spears protruding from the bottom, sharply pointed ends aiming at the sky. The intent was clear: it was certain death to anyone or anything that stumbled into the pit.

We did walk into a trap after all. Her mind supplied matter-of-factly.

She shivered, vaguely noting the air around her was cold, cooler than the warm and humid day above ground.

And the area around her was small.

Oh God, please get me out, please get me out.

Gasping for breath, suddenly more than desperate to be above ground, her eyes snapped up above her, finding herself gazing into the dark and intense eyes of one Bellamy Blake; her apparent saviour.

He stared down at her, expression blank, hardly seeming strained by the fact that he was the only thing keeping her from falling to her death, though from the painful grip he held on her wrist and the tendons and veins she saw popping through the skin of his forearm, she knew it couldn’t have been easy.

Eyes wide, she stared up at him in disbelief. Out of everyone there, he was one of the last she would have thought would step forward and save her. Yet here he was. He’d saved her. She didn’t know why or how, but he’d stopped her from falling to her death.

As he adjusted his grip, she winced, hissing in pain in her wrist throbbed, turning from a dull ache, and into a sharp, piercing pain as the needles in her wrist shifted, tearing at the skin. Her eyes watered at the feeling, and she closed her eyes momentarily to push back the pain.

At her apparent pain, Blake’s frown shifted, going from focused to concerned, the expression becoming more pronounced as he noted the small rivulet of dark, crimson blood slowly seeping through his fingers, sliding down to the ends of his fingertips, trailing down her arm.

She watched his jaw clench as they both realized the blood presented a new problem. 

Her breath caught in her lungs as his grip slipped slightly. Above her, he gritted his teeth, tightening his hold and she realized that he also felt that he was losing hold of her. She bit back a whimper of pain as his fingers forced the wristband to dig further into her wrist.

Before he had a chance to adjust his grip or reach down for her with his other hand, Clarke’s horrified face appeared over the edge, peering down into the pit, her eyes widening as they landed on Alex.

“Oh my god, get her up! Get her up!” Clarke shouted, laying on her belly and throwing down her own hands, wildly reaching down for her own. Alex swung her free hand around, desperately latching onto Clarke’s proffered hand, feeling the grip of Blake’s hand sliding further.

Finn and Wells’s heads appeared over the edge, eyes almost comically wide as they stared down at her. Soon they were reaching down into the pit as well, although their fingertips barely brushed her skin or the fabric of her jacket.

“Can’t - can’t reach.” Finn panted, straining to get a grip on her.

Blake grunted in acknowledgement, and clenching his jaw, leaned back and hauled her up and into their reach. As soon as she was high enough, Wells grasped the scruff of her jacket, helping to pull her up; Finn grabbing her belt once it was in reach, keeping her from slipping back down. 

With one final heave, they pulled her out of the pit, Alex sliding forward on her belly then onto her knees as they dragged her forwards. Unfortunately, their momentum kept them all going, and her rescuers lost their balance, falling backs, pulling her along with them as they crashed to the ground.

Alex was pulled forward, landing heavily across Blake’s chest, his breath leaving him with an ‘oomph’. His hand still gripped her wrist tightly, which was pinned awkwardly between them, the position causing it to flare with pain, and she let out a small hiss of pain. 

The rest of the group was a pile of knees and elbows, Finn moaning pathetically that Wells knee was digging painfully into his lower back, to which Wells responded by stating that he would remove his knee for Finn’s back, if Finn removed his elbow from his side. Alex was in no better position, she knew at least one of her knees was digging painfully into Clarke’s stomach, if she understood the meaning of Clarke’s grumbling. 

Taking a purposely slow, deep breath, she tried to control her still racing heartbeat, feeling the slight trembles coursing through her, the adrenaline slowly began to ebb away now that her body realized it was once again safely on flat ground.

Or maybe not actually on flat ground. 

She could feel the solid contours of Blake’s chest beneath her, felt his chest moving, the intake and exhale of each individual breath. Despite what had just happened, his heartbeat was steady beneath her hand.

Opening the eyes she hadn’t realized she’d closed, she found herself gazing into Blake’s dark eyes. He was staring up at her, a slight frown marring his face, but she couldn’t tell what it was aimed towards - her or the situation.

From this close, she could see the specks of hazel scattered throughout the darker shades of his iris, and the freckles spattered across his nose. She’d never noticed the slight scar with cut through his eyebrow, or the other which ran beneath his eye.

“Alex!” Wells had scrambled to his knees and made his way over to her, pulling her away from Blake, who gently released the grip he had on her wrist, letting her get tugged away.

Well’s sat her down, grabbing her shoulders and peering anxiously into her face, before flickering his eyes across her body, looking for any sign of injury. “Are you alright?” He asked, even as Clarke pushed herself up next to them. 

She took a shaky breath, holding it, trying to get her racing heart back in control, before releasing all the air in one go. “Yeah...yeah, I’m fine.”

“No, she’s not,” interrupted Blake’s, and all of them snapped around to face him, finding him staring down at her. He’d pushed himself to his feet, standing next to Murphy, who was gazing at Blake with an indecipherable look on his face, arms folded tightly across his chest. 

When they all gazed at Blake, wondering what the hell he was talking about, he raised his hand, the one that had grabbed her, showing them the dark crimson blood that covered his skin. “She’s bleeding.”

Alex sent him a short glare, before meeting Clarke stern gaze, pulling away her wrist, trying to keep it out of sight. “I’m fine,” she repeated, keeping her tone firm, with a note of finality, “We need to focus on Jasper.” My injuries can wait, Jasper’s needs you now.

Clarke seemed to read her thoughts, because after a moment she gave a nod, although she was quick to thrust a finger towards her face, motioning towards her wrist, and Alex leaned away from her warily. “Okay, but when we get back to camp, we’re going to look at that.”

Alex nodded in response. “Fine.”

Finn seemed to be in agreement, taking charge as he stepped towards Jasper, making sure to stay well away from the hole that had opened beneath her feet. “Clarke I need you to look at him before we pull him down. And you-” he pointed at Murphy, who raised a bored eyebrow at the motion. “Come with me, you can help me get him down. Wells.” He shared a meaningful glance with the other boy, before glancing at her and Bellamy. 

Wells nodded, stepping towards Alex almost too casually. “I’ll stay here.”

She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

Finn stepped forwards, reaching out and grasping a long stick he’d found nearby before proceeding to cautiously tap the ground in front of him, looking for any more potential traps, Clarke at his heels. Murphy lagged behind, turning to Blake with a frown. 

Watching Clarke and Finn head towards Jasper, Alex pushed herself slowly to her feet, brushing the dirt off her hands and her pants, but froze, cringing with a hiss as the movement pulled at the fresh wound on her wrist. 

Hearing the sound, Wells turned, a concerned frown gracing his face as he met her gaze, before his eyes trailed down to her wrist 

She tried to wave him away. “Look, I’m fine…” She trailed off with a sigh when he proceeded to ignore her entirely, grabbing a small scrap of cloth he procured from his handmade backpack before gently grabbing her wrist, and beginning to gently tie the strip around the base of her wristband.

“I can do that myself, you know,” Alex said evenly, watching what he was doing.

“I know.” He shrugged simply in reply, finished tying off the knot.

“You don’t have to watch over me, either.” She finally snapped, immediately feeling like the biggest jerk in the world for saying so. She didn’t know why she was being so snippy. 

Maybe the fall scared me way more than I thought.

At least that theory followed with the continuous shaking of her hands.

“I- what?” Wells said, shifting slightly on his feet, and she noted the way he avoided her gaze instead turning to watch the group as they reach Jasper. “I’m not.”

“Don’t play dumb, Wells, it doesn’t suit you.” She snorted as he finished tying the knot. “I saw the look you and Finn shared.” She turned and met his gaze. “You don’t have to protect me from Bellamy.”

With a sigh, he turned to face her, meeting her steely gaze. “It’s..It’s not that. At least not the way you think.”

“Then...what?”

He chewed on the inside of his lip for a moment before answering. “‘Lex, when you fell, I think all of us stopped breathing,” he said softly.

Startled at the random admission, she stared at him. “What?”

Wells let out a small laugh. “Heh, yeah. We all watched you fall, but all of us were too stunned to do anything. We just stood there - like idiots. Did nothing. Blake was the only one that moved.” His mention of Blake sounded bitter.

Her gaze softened as she studied him.

He’s kicking himself for not reacting quickly enough.

“He was just the closest one to react, Wells. That’s all,” she said softly, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm, “I don’t doubt you would have reacted the same if you’d been close enough.

He shook his head. “No, you didn’t see it. He moved. It looked like he knew you were going to fall before it even happened. He just made sure he was in the right place at the right time to catch you.”

She frowned, feeling perplexed. After all their unpleasant interactions, why had he been the one to save her? He could have just let her fall. He’d made it plenty clear in the past few days that he wouldn’t mind it if she disappeared entirely.

Why did he step forward? Just a reaction - or something else?

The thought bothered her. Maybe Bellamy Blake wasn’t as bad as he made himself out to be.

“He saved my life, Wells,” she said after a moment, glancing over her shoulder towards Blake, who was still standing a few yards away, exchanging quick pointed words with an unhappy looking Murphy.

She needed to know why.

“I’m going to talk to him,” she stated suddenly, stepping towards him.

“Alex…” Wells began, sounding exasperated, but as she was already moving away, he sighed at her back. “Fine.”

As she came up to Murphy and Blake, Murphy sneered at her before taking a pointed step away from them. They’d clearly been arguing about something.

She didn’t have to wait long to find out what is was about.

“Would have been easier to let her fall,” Murphy glowered at Blake, seemingly aiming to get the last word in. 

Blake crossed his arms, giving him a dark unwavering stare. “Get it yourself, if you’re so worried about it,” he snapped back before waving him off. “Just go do what you were told, Murphy.” At that, Murphy whirled around, storming over to where Finn and Clarke were checking Jasper over.

Alex gave Murphy an unimpressed look as he marched past her with a glare. “Lovely,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Coming to a stop next to Blake, they both quietly watched the others slowly begin to untie the ropes that bound Jasper to the tree, Alex scratching at her forearm, which was becoming increasingly more itchy as the blood dried on her skin.

Licking her lips, Alex took a deep breath before glancing up at him.

“I guess I should probably thank you,” she mumbled, almost wary of how he would act towards her. After all, he’d gone from threatening her life, to saving her life in the past day.

“Yeah,” he drawled dryly, before shooting her a dark glance, apparently in a bad mood from his discussion with Murphy. “You should also probably watch where you’re walking in the future.” 

Annoyance washed through her and she gritted her teeth. “It’s not like I did it on purpose,” she shot back, then cringed. Even to her the words sounded whiny.

After a second he snorted, before shooting her a mildly amused glance, a small smirk playing on his lips. “No, I suppose not. I guess most people don’t go throwing themselves into holes full of pointed spikes.”

She rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Blake.” Although the words held none of the heat that they normally would have. “Look, I want to know. Why did you save me?”

“Well, did you expect me to let you fall?” Blake asked, giving her a slightly mocking, but expectant look as he fully turned towards her.

Did she? She wasn’t quite sure. Her previous view of Blake being an self-absorbed, arrogant bastard had shifted slightly, that’s for sure, but what her opinion had changed into, she wasn’t sure.

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect you to catch me. So, thank you, I guess.”

Blake seemed to shift almost uncomfortably at her gratitude, before waving her off. “Just don’t make it a habit, I won’t be there to catch you every time you fall.”

She scoffed a laugh, giving an exaggerated grimace. “Sorry, but the last thing I want is to have more contact with you. So don’t worry. I’ll do my best to keep from falling into death traps from now on.”

He gave her a good once over, his eyes seeming to burn through her clothes where she stood. “Well, I don’t know about that. I think you and I should have a lot more contact.” 

Feeling like she flushed red from head to toe, her jaw dropped at the abruptly flirtatious comment, she was about to fire back with some witty comment about him already having plenty of “contact” with the other girls in camp, when a sudden deep guttural sound cut through the air.

Everyone froze.

What the...

“What the hell was that?” Called Murphy from where he was perched next to Jasper in the tree, his hands gripping the ropes harshly. 

Shoulders tense, Alex turned, gazing in the direction she thought the sound had come from, Bellamy doing the same.

“Grounders?” Bellamy asked, sounding uncertain, the almost flirtatious air he’d held before was completely gone.

I sure as hell hope not. That’s the last thing we need right now...

When a shadow dashed between the bushes, Alex took a startled step back, following the movement before it disappeared into the nearby bushes.

Wells came up beside her, following her line of sight. “Not unless Grounders are suddenly walking on all fours?” He swallowed, pointing towards the rustling bushes. “Look.”

Even as they all turned to see what he was talking about, a large black animal slinked out of the foliage, crouched low to the ground. It’s black fun glittered in the afternoon sun, and Alex could see the tightly coiled muscles undulating beneath its skin with every slow step it took towards them.

Alex realized that the sound they’d heard earlier was the animal growling, the deep reverberating sound emanating from it.

The animal slowed to a stop, and for a moment everyone held their breath, watching the animal warily.

Licking her lips nervously, Alex flexed her hands, trying to ignore the way that her heart had begun to pound heavily in her chest once more, wondering what the hell animal was going to do. It certainly didn’t look friendly.

For a moment, everything was dead silent.

Then it snarled. And leapt.

With speed that she’d never seen anything move before, the creature dashed towards them, quick as lightning, fangs bared menacingly at them.

Alex dove backwards, trying to get out of the animals way, and she bumped into Bellamy who’d been standing not too far away. He gripped her arm, tugging her back away from the incoming animal.

“Bellamy, gun!” Clarke shouted from the base of the tree, voice raised in panic.

Releasing her, he threw his hands out behind him, intent on grabbing the gun she knew he’d stashed in the waistband of his pants. She watched his eyes widen with panic, as he lifted the back of his shirt and frantically began to pat down his waistband. 

Eyes wide with worry, he met her gaze. “It’s not - I don’t…”

Uh oh.

Disbelieving anger flowed through her, despite the danger they were in. “You lost our only gu-”

A gunshot split through the air, cutting her off as she jumped, the sound seeming to resonate in her bones and through her lungs. Her ears rang, and after a second she realized she’d unconsciously brought her hands up in an effort to protect herself, her shoulder hunched defensively as she ducked away from the blast.

With a gasp, she whirled around, searching around for the source of the shot.

It couldn’t have been Blake, I could see him, he was right in front of me!

When her gaze landed on Wells, stunned disbelief flowed through her. 

He stood not too far away from her and Blake, gun poised tensely in front of him, tightly clenched in one hand, which trembled slightly, but kept it up.

Shaking off the disbelief, she snapped her head around to see where the animal had gone to.

The shot had apparently missed, although the sound of the shot seemed to have momentarily startled it, as it paused, looking around warily, as if second guessing its decision to attack them. 

Apparently deciding that the risk was well worth it, the animal darted forwards once more, hissing and snarling.

Wells was quick to fired a second shot, this one seeming to strike its intended target when the animal stumbled, a pained whine escaping it, before it caught it’s balance and darted into the nearby grass, disappearing completely out of sight. 

Heart beat racing, Alex tried to keep track of its movements through the grass, looking for any sign of the black fur or the swaying grass which would give away its location, but everything became still, the animal stealthily blending into the environment.

You’d think it would be easy to see. Black and yellow don’t exactly mix, it shouldn’t be so easy for it to hide!

Whirling one way and another they all tried to figure out where it had gone to. Clarke had pushed herself higher into the tree, trying to get to a better vantage point. 

It’s also probably the safest place to be, at the moment, Alex thought wryly.

“Do you see it?” Finn called out, the question not seemingly aimed at anyone in particular, as his eyes darted this way and that.

“Where did it go to?!”

Movement behind Bellamy caught her eye, and she spun around to face it.

The animal was crouched low to the ground, slinking forwards it belly almost dragging on the ground. Lips pulled back in a snarl, she could see the rows of pearly white teeth, pointed and big. In what felt like slow motion, she watched the creature crouch behind him, ready to pounce.

Then it leapt.

“Behind you!” Alex screamed in warning, but it was too late, the creature was too near. Bellamy hardly had time to turn as it flew through the air towards him, eye widening.

Two more resonating gunshots cut through the air.

Lurching midair, the creature let out a horrific yowl as it crashed to the ground, where it rolled a few times before coming to a stop at Bellamy’s feet.

click, click, click, click 

Eye wide in disbelief, Alex turned to face Wells, who continued to pull the trigger, glaring angrily at the animal, until Clarke put a hand on his shoulder.

Glancing down, Wells stared at the gun, his eyes growing, almost comically, until they were almost popping out of his head. Abruptly, he threw the gun to one side into the bushes, treating it like it had suddenly sprouted legs and attempted to crawl away.

A relieved, almost panicked, breathy laugh escaped her, and everyone snapped around to face her.

“Well, I guess that solves our ammo issue, doesn’t it?”


	11. Chapter 11

After their nerve-wracking day, everyone was more than eager to head back to the drop ship, as soon as Jasper was bundled up and secured on their makeshift stretcher, they were on their way.

Although they tried to be as gentle as possible as they moved, every motion still seemed to cause Jasper pain, his moans filling the air, setting everyone on edge. The group was tense and wary; everyone worried about what, or who, might hear them.

This is getting ridiculous.

At the distant sound of a groaning branch, Alex once again whipped around to peer over her shoulder, they were occurring often enough to set her on edge. Her ears seemed fine tuned to any noise not coming from the group, instead catching every creak and crack in the forest around them. She knew the forest held a certain amount of natural noise, everything making its own sounds as a breeze swept through, rustling leaves and rubbing trunks against one another. She knew this, and it still gave her no comfort.

It would be so easy for someone to follow us right now. Stay just out of sight, hidden in the bushes, behind a tree. They wouldn’t even need to see us to know where we are, it’s not like we’re the stealthiest group around. She thought, cringing and shooting a nervous glare at Wells, who had stepped heavily on some dry branches, the loud crunch causing the entire group to tense up.

Slowing down, she glanced around, allowing Clarke, Finn and Wells to move past her, Jasper slung heavily between the two boys. Ignoring Clarke’s questioning glance as she walked by, she focused instead on the dense foliage behind them, trying to see passed the shapes and shadows which too easily caught her eyes.

They could be right there...standing just beyond the edge of the trees, watching us, studying us, waiting for the right moment to us to turn our backs…

Closing her eyes briefly, she rubbed her face tiredly with both hands, ignoring the painful twinge her wrist gave.

Footsteps came up beside her, and she opened her eyes to find Blake frowning back in the direction she’d been looking, before he turned to meet her gaze, adjusting the heavy branch he held over one shoulder.

“See something?” He grunted down at her.

Eyes roving his face before travelling back to the animal Blake and Murphy had strung up between them, she swallowed, trying to ignore the disgusting way it’s head hung down, tongue lolled from its mouth, blood dripping from its slack jowls and onto the forest floor below. 

Grimacing, she turned away.

“Nah,” she said with a small shake of her head, glancing back the way they’d come. “Hopefully, I’m just imagining things.”

Hopefully.

Even to her it sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

“Yeah. Hopefully,” Blake agreed softly.

“Will you hurry it up?” Snapped Murphy from the other end of the branch, making an irritated motion with his free hand, glaring at them both. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to camp. This bitch is heavy, and I’d like to get back sooner, rather than later.”

Irritation washed through her, momentarily pushing back any worry she had about being followed. Resisting the sigh that tried to escape her, she shot him a scathing glare of her own. “It was you’re idea to bring it back,” she drawled, glancing down at the dead animal, “Don’t bitch about it.” Despite her words, she turned, continuing on walking, picking up her pace to catch up with the rest.

“Don’t expect to get any, Evans. I’m not sharing.” Murphy sniped back at her.

Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth, refraining from answering. It wasn’t worth the effort. He had no say real say in how the food was divided up. She wasn’t entirely sure that the one carcass could feed the whole group. They would need more, and soon.  
Besides, she felt more capable at surviving and finding her own food than most of the other delinquents.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t ignore that he was right in one manner.

The sooner they returned to the drop ship, the better.

When a small flock of birds suddenly took flight from the trees behind them, and the air was filled with their distressed chittering and chirping, nobody mentioned their sudden quickening of their pace.

We need to get out of here.

For a while, no one talked, saving all of their energy for their daunting trek home. Minutes soon trickled into hours, although every glance up into the clear sky reassured her that the day was far from over. 

The trek back was easily tougher than any type of activity she ever had to do before. Her chest ached, her lungs struggling for air as her heart thumped heavily behind her ribs.

On the Ark, physical activity was mandatory, everyone required to keep up a minimum level of fitness, the energy burnt and food consumed was harshly regulated. Fitness classes were held daily, and it wasn’t uncommon to see joggers making laps of their stations at the end of their shifts, footsteps echoing on the steel floors as they went. There were even annual running competitions, competitors timed on how long it took them to run the Main Corridor, the longest walkway on the Ark which ran from the entire length, connecting all the Stations.

She’d always been considered fit, passing each testing with flying colours every time, never struggling.

But this...this is something else entirely. She thought as she panted away, wiping away the beads of sweat that had accumulated on her forehead and had begun to run down the back of her neck. When she’d gotten too warm, she’d taken her jacket off, tying it off around her waist. Even then, she found that her tanktop was sticking uncomfortably to her skin.

Apparently, running on flat steel ground is much, much easier than walking on mossy, hilly, log covered ground, she thought dryly. 

Glancing around at the others, she was somewhat relieved that they all looked to be in the same boat, hair sticking to their foreheads, jackets around the waist, feet shuffling forward like each one was twenty pounds heavier than it should be.

But although they were all tired, none of them were willing to slow their pace. The urgency in their steps had yet to falter. None of them were willing to tempt the good luck they’d had so far.

Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any of the things that they felt were treading on their heels. And as soon the sun began to duck down behind the mountains, the long shadows fading slowly into black, distant flickering glow of fires began appearing through the gaps in the trees. 

Thank God. Relief flowed through her at the distant sight. 

Wiping a bead of sweat off her brow, Alex glanced back at the others to see how they were fairing. Each of them, minus Blake and Murphy, had taken turns carrying Jasper, switching out when he’d become too heavy, the weight often sending them stumbling, wary feet having trouble finding purchase on the rugged terrain, especially as the daylight faded.

Her turn had ended not too long ago, her wrist throbbing painfully as she switched off with Clarke, who was looking just as bone-weary as she felt.

Stepping over a log, her wary foot caught on a root sticking out of the ground on the other side, her misstep sending her stumbling forward. Trying to stop her fall, she threw out a hand to brace herself against a nearby tree; a decision she instantly regretted as pain exploded through her wrist, the slightly scabbed skin beneath her wristband tearing open. Sucking in a sharp breath, she froze against the tree, eyes clenched shut as she waited for the fresh wave of pain to fade.

It wasn’t the first time either. Between carrying Jasper and catching herself whenever she stumbled, her wrist constantly burned as they moved, each step and each heartbeat seeming to flare through her arm. 

After Clarke had caught her wincing more than a few times, she’d made more of an effort to hide her discomfort. The last thing they needed right now was to stop, not when Jasper’s pained moans reminded them of the state he was in. 

She could deal with this on her own. 

“Fuuuuck.” She hissed softly to herself, slowly releasing the breath she’d been holding, gently rubbing around the edge of her wristband, trying to sooth the never ending itching and pinching that permeated her wrist. 

Apparently she wasn’t as quiet as she’d hoped, from the amused snort that came from behind her. Gritting her teeth, she didn’t need to turn around to know who was mocking her pain.

But she did anyway, shooting a glare at Murphy, who returned the look with a small sadistic smirk, appearing all too pleased with her discomfort.

God, she couldn’t stand the guy.

As more familiar landmarks began appearing around them, Alex could stop the relieved sigh that escaped her. They were nearly there; they could see the fires in the distant and soon the drop ship would be in their sights, and despite the general dislike she held for the other delinquents, she couldn’t deny the relief she felt when they came into sight.

As they stepped into the clearing, some of the tension and adrenaline from the day’s events slowly began to fade away, a bone-deep weariness taking its place, settling around her shoulders like a heavyweight. While she knew that she was fooling herself with her optimistic view of safety, she knew that they were safer here than anywhere else and that allowed them some respite. Here they could recover, nurse their wounds, and begin thinking about how they were going to keep surviving with their new and hostile neighbours.

Walls. Definitely walls. Something nice and tall to keep them and everything else out there, out. The question is...how do we build it? The answer came to her as she glanced up, gaze landing on the enormous trees around them. Now, if only we could find a way to bring some of those down...She shook her head, dismissing the thoughts. That can wait. Right now, Jasper takes priority. 

Their arrival was met with mixed reactions. A few of the closest delinquents leapt up, clearly startled at their sudden appearance, the commotion sending a wave of interested murmurs throughout the rest of the group. Soon, others were coming forwards, curious and interested at what had happened to them while they were away. Some looked relieved at the sight of Jasper, other looking more excited at the prospect of food that Blake and Murphy carried between them.

Clarke ignored all the attention, not pausing even once as she wove her way towards the drop ship, Finn and Wells carrying Jasper at her heels, Alex keeping pace not far behind.

They were halfway up the ramp when a frantic looking Monty stumbled through the draping that covered the entrance. As his gaze landed on them, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. For a moment, nothing moved, except his eyes, which flickered from face to face desperately, looking for any clues which could tell him what happened. What they’d found.

When his gaze finally landed on Jasper, the blood completely drained from his face, turning a sickly white and he stumbled back, bracing himself on the edge of the door. Alex swallowed, feeling suddenly sick at the agony that swept across his face.

Blinking rapidly to clear his watery eyes, he opened and closed his mouth several times, nothing coming out as he tried to ask the question that was clearly at the front of his mind. Finally, he managed to squeak out, “Is….is he…” The fear in his voice made her heart clench.

Clarke was the first to move, hurrying forward and putting a hand on his shoulder, giving him, what Alex thought, was the most reassuring look she could manage at the moment. “He’s alive.” She told him firmly, keeping her gaze steady. “But he needs medical attention. Right now, I need boiled water and strips of cloth, for bandages - as clean as you can find them.”

“We can get that.” Another steady voice joined them, and Harper stepped out from behind the coverings coming to stand at Monty’s side, Charlotte and Jemma right behind her. Harper gave them all a quick once over before turning to Clarke. “We’ve set up a space for you inside. It’s as clean as we could get it.”

Clarke gave her an appreciative look as she nodded. “Thank you.”

Charlotte and Jemma both turned to give Alex a concerned look but she shook her head, giving them what she hoped was a small reassuring smile, before motioning for them to follow Harper as the other girl turned away to look for the requested items.

Clarke parted the thin material that someone had set up at the entrance of the dropship, allowing Finn and Wells go through, before ducking through herself, Monty nearly tripping over her at his rush to follow her through.

Following them quietly, Alex ducked through the entryway just as they gently lowered Jasper onto the set up space, parachute folded neatly below him, providing some kind of padding against the cold, hard floor.

Watching from the doorway, Alex couldn’t help but be impressed at how quickly Clarke took charge of the entire situation, giving everyone orders on how and when to move and unwrap the unconscious Jasper, making sure Finn and Wells moved slowly and were mindful of his injuries. 

When they’d pulled all the parachute away, Clarke took a deep breath before moving in to remove the only thing left on Jasper’s chest: the quickly thrown together bandage she’d placed over his wound.

The material was soaked through, the previously white material, stained a deep red. It was clear that although they’d tried to move him as smoothly as possible, his would had still been agitated and had begun bleeding once more.

As Clarke removed it, Monty let out a strangled moan and stumbled backwards until his back hit the wall, his face turning a sickly shade of green. As he slide down and rested his head on his knees, Alex couldn’t help but feel bad for him. She knew what it was like to feel useless when someone close to her bled out, and you didn’t have the skills or the knowledge to help.

When Clarke dropped the bloody material to the side and leaned forward, Alex caught sight of the fresh gaping wound on his chest and her breath caught in her throat, stomach turning violently. Turning away, she took a shaky breath and she quickly decided she was better off outside. As much as she wanted to help, she knew she wouldn’t be of any use if she threw up all over them. Blood - she shuddered - it was something she just couldn’t deal with. She wouldn’t be of any help to them.

Sliding back through the material and into the refreshing cool evening air, she took note of the rapidly fading sunlight as her eyes landed on the group of rowdy teenagers hanging around the main fire, where Blake and Murphy were apparently showing off their kill.

“Who's hungry!?” Blake yelled out to the surrounding crowd, who all roared back with a undeniable cheer of agreement.

Rolling her eyes, she scowled, turning away, not interested watching them show off. Especially when they hadn’t actually killed anything.

Beside’s...what a stupid question. She grumbled to herself as she marched away, trying to ignore the hot spots on her feet, where her boots had begun to rub hours beforehand. I think we’re all more than a little hungry at this point.

Her stomach quickly growled in agreement

They were all hungry. And thirsty. And tired.

And God, her feet fucking hurt.

Going to the closest and comfiest log she could find, she threw herself down next to it, a relieved sigh escaping her as she finally got off her feet. Reaching down, she yanked her knife out from the side of her boot, laying it on the log beside her before quickly untying her laces. Forcefully yanking off her boots, she tossed them angrily to the side, where they landed a few feet away.

Catching sight of her bloodied hand, she grimaced, picking at the itching, flaking blood which had slowly begun to peel off of her skin. The familiar feeling bothered her, and she couldn’t help be reminded of another time, when blood had covered her hands, had stuck between her fingers. She remembered how it had been etched beneath her fingernails, and no matter how much she scrubbed, the red tinge around her nail beds just wouldn’t. go. away.

But that wasn’t your blood, now was it? This time - this time it’s different.

Closing her eyes, she forced her thoughts away from the unpleasant memories, letting her head fall back against the log. Instead, she focused her mind on the pleasant feeling of the cool air on her feet instead of how her feet ached, how parched her mouth felt, how her stomach felt like an aching void, grumbling with the pangs of hunger; how heavy her eyelids felt...

No, Alex, stop! Please! We need to go. They’re coming, they know I know. Come on, Lex! We need to get out of here! We need to move!

“Alex?”

Move!

Eyes snapping open at the call of her name, she lurched forward, groggy and disoriented, the fog draped over her brain slowly lifting as she stared around eyes landing on a figure that stood a few feet before her. 

As her mind cleared, she realized it was Jasper’s friend, Monty, who was standing before her. Blinking up at him dumbly, she noted how dark it was around them, and realized that at some point, she must have fallen asleep. 

Frowning, she took note of how awkwardly he was standing: hands raised, eyes wide as he eyed her warily. He was standing defensively, looking at her like she was about to lunge.

Then she realized that she was. His movement had brought her out of her sleep and as she’d woken, she’d shifted forwards, still kneeling on the ground, one leg coiled beneath her, ready to pounce. Her attention shifted to the familiar weight in her hand, and with a jolt, she realized she held her dagger defensively in front of herself, ready to attack.

Heat flushed through her face, she was glad for the darkness around them, although she was mildly surprised she didn’t light up the surrounding area, knowing that she bright red. Mortified at her own reaction to being woken up, she quickly tucked the blade behind her, settling back against the log. Trying to look normal.

Nothing like proving that you’re as crazy as everyone expects you to be. Her mind drawled at her in amusement.

“Uh,” he began, slowly lowering his hands, although he still eyed her warily, “sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No!” She interrupted him a little more harshly than she meant to. When his eyes widened further and he stared at her like she was a wild animal, she cringed. Bringing up a hand, she closed her eyes, massaging the bridge of her nose. “No,” She began again, more softly this time, “don’t, don’t worry about it. You...just caught me off guard, is all.”

“Ah, alright,” he said, looking slightly uncomfortable, glancing momentarily over his shoulder, back towards the rest of the group.

Good going, Alex. You’re making the kid want to run.

An abrupt snort of amusement escaped her and at his puzzled expression, she shook her head. “Sorry,” she sent him a small tired smile, “I’m not usually like this... whatever this is,” she motioned a hand down at herself, “I think it’s just been a long day.” 

Her comment seemed to have the desired effect, because he marginally relaxed, shoulders dropping from their defensive pose. There was a momentary pause, then he seemed to make up his mind about something, shrugging to himself and throwing himself down on the mossy ground beside her. Startling her.

“Haven’t we all?” He said with a sigh, and for a moment he looked pained as he stared towards the drop ship. “Oh,” he said, perking up a little bit. “I brought you some stuff.” He said, holding a small bottle and a stick, which she hadn’t noticed him holding beforehand. Puzzled, she stared at the stick momentarily, wondering what the hell was on it, when the delicious smell of cooked food hit her nose.

Her mouth watered.

“Is that real food??” She asked almost desperately, stomach growling at the thought of something to eat.

At her probably pathetic and excited look, he huffed a laugh, handing it over, placing the bottle between them. “Wow, you must have been pretty tired. You clearly missed the commotion of Sir Blake, and how he rescued his band of delinquent brats from starvation, feeding them the all-mighty beast he slayed during combat.” He waved his hands around comically, at one point looking like he was warding off an invisible attacker.

She snorted at his sarcastic drawl, then as she took a bit of the most delicious, juicy, tasty piece of food she’d ever had. “I take it you’re not a fan?” She said between bites.

“They annoy me.” He shrugged. “Besides he’d trading food for wristbands. At this rate there won’t be anyone with wristbands on by morning.” He scowled, “I mean, how are we supposed to get in touch with the Ark, if people are cutting off our only line of communication?” Frustration leaked into his voice, and he clenched his fists on his knees.

“Well, if it helps any. I promise to not trade in my wristband for anything.” She offered, eyeing him sympathetically. “Not even if they promise to slay more beasts for food.” She continued, sending him an amused smirk. Which he returned with a sincere one of his own. It was clear that whatever misgivings he’d had about her initial reaction had been withdrawn.

A companionable silence settled over them and she used the moment to take another mouthful of meat.

She could barely withhold the embarrassing moan of delight that overwhelmed her, her eyes closing as she chewed. The meat was unlike anything she’d ever tasted before. Although the outside was slightly charred from the fire, the inside was still juicy and tender, the entire thing a mix of amazing flavours, ones she’d never tasted before.

It was so, so, very different from anything they had on the Ark, where daily meals consisted of the products from the Agro Station, where in the early days of the Ark, engineers had designed an efficient space where nutrient rich vegetables were grown.

She remembered the first time she’d seen the vegetation. Beautiful. Green. She’d been in awe, gaping and staring, standing along with her fellow classmates. This was the type of life that still grew on Earth.

It was a shame all those lush, vibrant plants were then crushed and processed into little packets of nutrition. It had been determined early in life on the Ark, that the most efficient way to get everyone the nutrition, the calories that they needed to survive, was to give them in gelatin wrapped, disgusting tasting, little capsules, lovingly called GEL-PACs. Each one a standard amount of the resources they all needed to survive in space. Three a day; morning, lunch, dinner.

Three GEL-PACs, along with those god awful soy cubes.

Apparently soy plants grew really well in space. Who knew.

With a shudder, Alex tried to forget their nasty flavour, instead focusing back on the most delicious meal she’d ever had. 

Once finished, she settled back with a content sigh, relieved that the pangs of hunger and thirst were finally fading away. A howl of laughter came from a distant fire, and Alex had to smile. It was clear that food had brightened everyone’s morale.

Turning her focus to the boy sitting next to her, her satisfaction over her meal faded as she took note of the somber expression now etched on his face, his eyes staring blankly back towards the door of the dropship. His worry for his friend was still at the front of his mind.

Briefly, she wondered why he was out here with her, instead of with Jasper.

“He’s going to be alright, you know.” She stated after a moment, trying her best to reassure him. Resting her elbows on her knees, her fingers played with the mossy ground. “Jasper’s strong.” 

He’s made it this far, he’ll survive now that he has the help he needs.

Monty sighed heavily, rubbing his hands across his face. “I know. I know he is. It’s just- I don’t think I’ve ever felt this useless in my life. I’ve always been able to come up with an answer - a solution. But just seeing him laying there, like that…” He trailed off before grumbling, “Clarke threw me out because I wouldn’t stop asking if I could help.”

She felt a small smile tug at her lips are the thought. Reaching over she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Clarke’s good at what she does. Her mother is lead medic on the Ark, remember? If anyone can patch him up, it’s her.”

“Yeah, I know.” He repeated once more and although her words seemed to have comforted him somewhat, the uncertainty, the fear he held over the possibility of losing his friend was still present, still draped around his shoulders. She was sure it would be there until the moment Jasper was up and walking. And even then it would haunt him. 

A rustle of movement caught her attention and she turned to find Monty pushing himself to his feet, brushing the litter from his clothes as he stood.

“I’m going to head back,” he said, glancing uncertainly at the dropship, before turning to look down at her. He shrugged and gave a sheepish smile, “Maybe Clarke will have something for me to do by now.” He suggested, looking hopeful at the idea.

A thought struck her. “Maybe see if Clarke and the rest need any food or water. The hike was pretty crappy, and I’m sure they’ll need some fuel of their own.”

He nodded, “Sounds good, I’ll sneak some more food from Blake’s lot when they’re not looking.”

She snorted in response, waving him away. “Shouldn’t be too hard. Just don’t get caught.”

“Don’t plan to.” He answered with a small smirk, before turning and beginning to walk away.

A thought struck her. “Hey Monty!” She called out as he began to walk away. When he turned back to her questioningly, she sent him a small smile, before holding up the bottle of water, “Thanks' for the food.”

With a quirk of a smile in return, accompanied with a heartfelt thumbs-up, he turned and continued to make his way over to the main fire. 

As she watched, he kept his pace casual as he slunk by the fire, and flicking a hand out almost faster than she could see, suddenly there were two less sticks sitting around the fire. Nobody noticed; everyone too engrossed in their own meals.

She had to shake her head as she speculated. Smooth. Maybe that’s why he’s here in the first place - sticky fingers findings their way into places where they shouldn’t be.

A yawn suddenly overtook her and she realized how long she’d been away from everyone. Charlotte and Jemma are probably wondering where I went off to. With that in mind, she reached out, grasping the boots she’d tossed away earlier and quickly tugging them onto her feet and doing up the laces.

Pushing herself to her feet, she raised her hands over her head, giving her back a good stretch, the odd feeling of satisfaction flowing through her as her back popped loudly in response.

She wasn’t prepared when a hand suddenly clasped around her mouth, a strong arm wrapping around her waist.

Heart leaping to her throat, she didn’t have time to inhale, let alone cry out, before she was hauled roughly over the log she’d been leaning against, a muffled yelp escaping her as her back scraped painfully over the rough bark.

Panic overwhelming her at the thought of who was pulling her backwards into the darkness.

Grounders! Grounders are in camp!

You idiot, why were you sitting so far away from everyone?!

Herself berating thoughts were cut off as she was violently pulled backwards, the arms that had been holding and partially supporting her, gone. Unable to get her feet under her, she fell back, but instead of hitting flat ground like she expected, the surface was much further away.

Tumbling head over heels down a small embankment, Alex came to an abrupt stop as she hit the bottom, the cobble covered ground knocking the air out of her and she lay, coughing and spluttering, desperately trying to get some air back into her lunch after it had been so violently expelled.

“Well, that looked like it hurt.” 

At the sound of the calm, familiar voice, Alex slowly turned her head to face the source.

She wished she could say that she was surprised to find Murphy standing at the edge of the embankment, his self assured smirk ever plastered on his face.

Anger and disbelief flowed through her. 

When her lungs finally allowed her to speak, she did. “What are you doing, Murphy?” She snarled at him with a glare, her voice rough.

A mockingly innocent look crossed his face, and he pointed at himself. “I’m just here to help.” He told her with a nod, “I saw you take that god-awful tumble, and wanted to make sure you were okay.” The nasty smile that crossed his face as he finished talking belied his words, and Alex felt a flicker of worry flow through her.

Murphy was a wildcard in the group. Something about his demeanor set her on edge. So far, he’d been aggressive and violent to nearly everyone, seeming to only be reined in by Blake, although reluctantly most of the time. 

But Blake’s not here to call of his attack dog now, is he?

Glancing past him, up the embankment she’s been thrown down, Alex realized nervously that it did a really good job at secluding them from the rest of the group. Although the closest people couldn’t have been further than thirty feet away, she couldn’t hear a word they were saying, the only sign of the rest of the group was nearby, was the bright glow of the fires on the trees above. He’d chosen this spot well.

“I don’t think anyone is going to help you, Evans.” Her gaze flicker back to meet his own, the calmness of his comment set her on edge.

Get up.

Rolling herself onto her side, she ignored the pain in her back as she attempted to push herself up, while reaching for her knife. When her hand met empty air, panic flared through her when she remembered she’d left her knife on the log.

Idiot.

He was faster then she expected, crossing the space between them in the blink of an eye. Unprepared for the boot which planted itself on her chest, she was forcefully slammed backwards, the weight pinning her to the ground.

Eyes snapping up in shock, she stared at Murphy who was now standing above her, head tilted as he stared down at her. Lifting a hand, he waved it in front of her face a few time before she became aware he held her blade lightly in hand, its sharp end pointed down towards her face. 

“Nuh-uh,” he shook his head, other hand coming up to wiggle a finger down at her, as if he were berating a young child, “can’t have you running back to your friends just yet.”

Gritting her teeth, she grabbed his boot and ankle with both hands, trying to relieve some of the pressure, to which he responded by moving forward, leaning on his leg, the one pinning her down. At the increase in weight, she winced, struggling to breath, each breath a shallow gasps, the only air her lungs allowed.

She glared up at him, “What do you want?” She gasped out.

He pointed the end of the blade towards her wrist. “Just one thing.”

She knew instantly that he was talking about her wristband. She shook her head. “Not going to happen.”

He rolled his eyes, “You say that like you have a choice.” He drawled, before quickly crouching over her, removing his weight from her chest but quickly leaning down, pressing the sharp point to the vulnerable side of her neck, the cool metal digging into her skin slightly.

Freezing, she leaned away as much as she could, the solid ground beneath her giving her no relief.

Shifting, he settled his knees on either side of her, straddling her hips, his weight pinning her down, keeping her from moving, her own blade keeping her helpless.

You need to do something, and you need to do it quickly. Her eyes flickered from his face to the knife.

You know what he wants. Offer it. Don’t let him take it.

A plan slowly began to form in her mind.

Let him think you’re weaker than you actually are. Let him underestimate you.

Releasing a shaky breath, she reached up, wrapping her hand gently around the wrist which held the blade, not needing to fake her shaky grip as she pulled it slightly away from herself. Her other hand slowly, painstakingly, began to flutter along the surface of the cobbles beside her, looking for something, anything, that she could use in defence.

“Please.” She whispers, eyes pleading as she stared up at him, making sure to keep her eyes on him.

He gave her an amused look before it faded away and he sighed, leaning over her and giving her an almost pitying look. “Look, Evans, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. Don’t make this nastier than it needs to be. All I want is your wristband.” He told her simply.

No fucking way. She snarled on the inside, before slowly, shakingly, nodding her head. “O-Okay.”

Relaxing her grip from his wrist, she allowed him to grasp her forearm, examining the metal band which enclosed it, her knife moving away from her neck as he did so. 

Hand shaking, she slowly tugged at the ground, nail and fingers trying to find purchase as they scraped out a decent sized cobble. Murphy seemed completely unaware of her movements, focused completely on her wrist.

Relief washed through her when she had the rock securely in hand, and her worried expression melting into a dark glare.

“Murphy?” She asked calmly, and when his gaze flickered from her wrist to meet her own, she sneered. “Kindly get the fuck off me.” She spat, before swinging the rock up and smashing it into the side of his face.

Her plan didn’t work as she expected. She had hoped her attack would render him unconscious, knocking him to the side and away from her. She did get one thing right - his head did snap to one side, but he didn’t completely lose his balance. As his hips lifted slightly she knew she only had a small opportunity to get away. Bucking her own hips, she tried to throw him the rest of the way off, while at the same time her hands scrambled for a purchase to pull herself out from under him.

But Murphy was too quick to recover. 

She was nearly out from underneath him when he resettled his weight down on her legs, across her shins, stopping her from fully getting away. She was fully unprepared when he whirled around, his fist slamming into the side of her face, catching her just below the eye. 

Pain and little black spots exploded in her vision, and she fell back with a cry, hands coming up instinctively to protect her face. The coppery tang of blood filled her mouth, and she knew that the impact must have gashed the inside of her cheek against her teeth.

Murphy huffed a laugh as he scrambled up her, once again settling on her stomach, his weight making her feel sick, her lungs struggling for oxygen. Once again, her knife was poised at her neck, his empty hand gripping her wrist tightly, the rock she’d struck him with still in hand. 

“You little bitch.” He snarled, bringing up his bladed hand to wipe it along his eyebrow, which had split where she’d hit him, blood streaming out and beginning to run over his eye and down his cheek. “Miller warned me you’d be sneaky, that you were smart.” He smirked down at her. “Little trickster, aren’t you?”

She gripped his wrist once again, nails digging into the soft skin of his wrist, trying to pry him away. “I’m not letting you have the wristband.” She wheezed, glaring up at him, before spitting a mouthful of blood to the side.

“You just don’t get it, do you.” He shook his head, “I’m taking it whether you like it, or not. Blake wants all the wristbands. No exceptions.” With that, he forcefully slammed her wrist down on the ground next to them, the shocking burst of pain making her unwillingly drop her only weapon of defense.

A pained smile crossed her face, “What, you his bitch now?”

Murphy’s expression darkened and for a moment she wondered if he was going to hit her again. Then a new voice interrupted them.

“Need a hand there, Murphy?” Alex grimaced, feeling her heart sink as she recognized the voice of Murphy’s sidekick, Mbege. 

Murphy glanced up at him momentarily before looking down to giving her a menacing smile. She flinched back as he brought the blade up, taping the tip on her cheek. “Things aren’t looking too good for you.” He singsonged.

She snarled, her mouth full of blood. “Fuck you!”

Murphy nodded to Mbege. “Hold her wrists, I need to get this thing off.” The other boy quickly complied, kneeling down by her head.

No! 

Renewing her struggled to get away, she tried keeping her banded wrist away from his grabbing hands, but with Murphy’s weight keeping her down, and holding her other wrist tightly, she didn’t have much leeway to keep him away, and soon they had both of her wrists pinned down.

Panting for breath, she swallowed down a sudden wave of real panic. She couldn’t lose her only connection to the Ark!

As Murphy began sliding the blade between her wristband and skin, she stared up at him pleadingly

“Murphy, Murphy please don’t.” She begged, her words hurried. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to follow Blake’s every order or do anything for him.”

He paused for a second, glancing down at her with a mocking grin. “For him? Hardly.” He scoffed. “See, Blake may think he’s running the show. And he is - for now. But he won’t be for long. Things are just convenient. He wants to cut all connections to the Ark. I want to cut all connections as well. He even asked me to get it.” He shrugged, before digging the blade in further. She let out a cry as it tore across her recently closed scabs, reopening the barely healed wound. 

A hand covered her mouth. “Shh, shh, Evans. You don’t want everyone coming to your rescue.” Murphy said before turning the blade sideways, Alex giving a muffled scream as the sharp metal slid into her wrist. Clenching her eyes closed, she was helpless to the tears that pooled from her eyes, her breathing coming in shuddering gasps. Pulling back his arm, Murphy gave one final wrench.

There was a distinct ‘snap!’ as the band opened. 

“See, wasn’t so bad.” Murphy told her, putting the knife to one side as he fully removed the band, a whimper escaping her as the needles slid painfully out of her already abused arm.

“Murphy!” Came a commanding bark, before Murphy was abruptly hauled off of her, Mbege quickly releasing her arms, scrambling to his feet, a worried look plastered on his face as he stepped away from her.

Taking a shuddering breath, her eyes clenched shut, a few tears leaking out of the corner of her eye, stinging the cut below. Slowly, she turned until she was resting on her side, allowing her to cradle her torn wrist, her other hand clamped tightly around it, trying to staunch the now steady flow of blood.

“Blake! Put me down!”

At the sound of Murphy’s protests, she peered open an eye to see what was happening, a disbelieving scoff escaping her at what she saw.

Blake had Murphy pinned up against a tree, both of his hands fisted in the other boys shirt. His shoulders were tense, his entire posture rigid; he was clearly not happy, his glare zeroed in on Murphy’s face. Murphy held tightly onto Blake’s wrists

“What do you think you’re doing?” Blake demanded calmly, coldly.

“Bellamy,” Murphy welcomed, than winced as the other boys knuckles dug into his collarbones.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Blake repeated, his gaze steel as he stared at Murphy.

“Just doing what you asked man - getting all the wristbands.” Murphy said calmly, rolling his neck.

When Blake’s dark eyes flickered down to meet her own, she turned her head away, teeth clenched. She didn’t want to know what she would see in his gaze. She didn’t know if she would see approval, judgement, or pity. None were emotions she wanted to see right now. Turning away, she focused instead on getting to her knees, so she could wrap her wrist in something - anything - that would stop the bleeding.

“You’re an idiot, Murphy,” Blake snapped. “We can’t go beating the shit out of everyone. It’s one thing to go after Wells, but is we keep going after Clarke’s crew, people will start talking.”

Murphy scowled. “Who fucking cares what they think?” he snapped.

Alex felt Blake’s eyes on her, but she refused to return his gaze. 

Blake glowered at him before cocking his head to one side, a dark smirk crossing his face. “Are you questioning me, Murphy? Let’s make something very clear.” Blake said, stepping back towards him and staring down the shorter boy. “When I tell you to do something, you do it when I want you to. Not any other time. You want to stay in this camp, be part of this group? You do what I say.”

Murphy sneered back, glaring back challengingly. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“Try me.” Blake snapped back, voice cool.

The silence that followed was tense, neither boy willing to give ground.

“Fine,” Murphy finally spat, throwing her wristband at Blake, who caught it one handed, glancing down at the bloody metal. Without another word, Murphy stomped by them, storming up the embankment and out of sight. After an uncertain moment, Mbege quickly followed suit, disappearing over the edge.

Shakily pushing herself to her feet, Alex ignored Blake who stood quietly at her back. She could feel his gaze and knew he was waiting for her to say something. Running her tongue across her teeth, she spat to the side, trying to remove the bloody tang from her mouth. 

Holding her wrist tightly with her other hand, she took a shaky breath before turning, keeping her gaze down, intending to move past Blake and head up to the drop ship, knowing that she would need Clarke’s help to wrap her wrist.

As she moved past him, he reached out and grabbed her upper arm, his grip surprisingly gentle.

“Evans...” He began, voice much softer than she’d ever heard him sound. It lacked all of the arrogance, the aggressiveness his voice usually held was absent. Instead he sounded...concerned.

Irrational rage surged through her at the thought.

He feels guilty now. He’s only treating you nicely because he now has the one thing he wanted from you. Her mind whispered. 

“Don’t touch me!” She snarled up at him, whirling to meet his gaze with a glare of her own.

He was quick to release her arm, raising both his hands in surrender, showing he meant no harm. His gaze was different than she’d ever seen before. 

How dare he? This is all his fault. Him and his fucking need to cut off the Ark.

“Happy now, Blake?” She spat up at him, glancing down at the wristband he still held in hand and his eyebrows raised in surprise. “You have exactly what you wanted. Now leave me alone.”

Even as she glared at him, her gaze was suddenly filled with tears, and she turned away, blinking rapidly to clear her vision.

Blake didn’t seem to know what to say, but when he opened his mouth to answer, she beat him to the punch.

“Let make something clear between us. Don’t touch me, don’t talk to me. I’m not a fucking damsel in distress, I don’t need your help.”

Blake took a step away from her, arms dropping to his sides, his expression closing off, his eyes darkening as he stared back at her.

After a moment, he nodded. “As you wish.” He said, voice tight and controlled. 

Then he turned and walked away.

Something about his tone gave her pause, and as she watched him stalk up the embankment and disappear out of sight, she couldn’t help the nervous butterflies that arose in her stomach.

All she knew is that all of a sudden she felt very, very alone.


	12. Chapter 12

It was well into the night, Abby Griffins footsteps echoed eerily off the metal floor below her, the sound seeming to reverberate through the empty space, as if trying to show her how desolate the halls of the Ark truly were.

Showing her how alone she was.

Sleep hadn’t been an easy thing lately. As tired as she was, the moment she closed her eyes, sleep seemed to evade her, staying just out of her grasp, her head instead filled with terrible visions of Clake - her beautiful baby girl- screaming and pleading as her skin slowly blistered and burnt, the radiation eventually consuming her. She woke up in a cold sweat most nights than naught, exhausted from watching her daughter unable to escape her inevitable death, which led to her late night wanderings. Drifting. Searching for something which would sooth her mind enough to give her a moment of peace.

She knew there were no signs of radiation in any of the children, and she tried to use that to rationalize her nightmares. But it didn’t help sooth her completely. Her daughter was still thousands of miles away. And she couldn’t protect her.

Sighing tiredly, she trudged along, making a turn which would ultimately lead her back towards the control room, wondering, not for the first time, if the Council had done the right thing.

She’d hated the idea of sending Clarke and the rest of the delinquent's down to Earth - down to their potential death - but she knew that there was a chance, however small, that they would survive. They could thrive, if they survived the fall, the radiation, and surviving on a foreign land, one they’d never been exposed to before.

It was Clarke’s highest chance at staying alive. Up here, on the Ark, she was only guaranteed death. The Ark’s systems were still failing. Their oxygen supply diminishing every day.

Their time was running out.

The delinquents had been the best choice. Everyone they had sent down was young, and strong; and if they survived the landing, if they survived the radiation, they would be the only thing ensuring their survival as a species.

They were are all going to die sooner than later. There was nothing they could do to stop it.

And things had been going so well. Everyone had been ecstatic when the kids had landed, surviving the drop, the radiation. And even after a few days, she was happy that they’re only sign of discomfort were signs of hunger and thirst.

Then things had started going horribly wrong. Their wristbands flickering and dying. One by one. A spike of pain. Then nothing. 

They’d all watched in stunned disbelief as the signals died completely. Their numbers were dropping so fast.

Something was killing their children and there was nothing they could do about it.

Pausing in front of the control room doors, the place where she’d been monitoring the wristband reading’s for days on end -praying, praying, praying - that Clarke’s wouldn’t spike and fail like the rest, she ran her hands tiredly over her face.

She didn’t want to think about the fact that she could walk through these doors and find out Clarke was simply - gone.

Steeling herself, she swiftly punched her code into the keypad, trying hard to stop from wincing as the door hissed open, although she knew she would be the only one around to witness her grief.

Everyone else was asleep.

She’d given Jackson the night off. Things would change whether they were here to watch them or not. She didn’t expect to find anyone here so early. So when the door fully opened and she found someone already standing in front of the monitors, she paused in surprise.

“Kane,” she said after a moment, her soft greeting feeling loud in the otherwise empty space. When he says nothing in return, she slowly moved up to stand beside him, her gaze automatically searching out Clarke’s vital stats.

She couldn’t help as her eyes slid closed in relief.

A pulse - steady and strong. No signs of pain or discomfort.

Her daughter was still alive.

Pride washed through her, a flicker of a smile dancing across her face when she realized that her daughter was no longer showed any signs of being hungry, and as her eyes moved across the rest of the screen, she noted the same for everyone else.

They’d found food. They’ve done it. They can do this.

For the moment, the weight of her daughter's well being faded from her mind and she allowed herself the check on the vitals for the remaining kids. But as her gaze landed on new failed transmissions, her heart sank at the realization that they’d lost more kids during the night. 

Twenty. Twenty children gone, just like that.

Those who remained showed slightly elevated heart beat, although nothing to be concerned about. They weren’t afraid, they weren’t panicked. They simply seemed...content.

None of this makes any sense. It’s not the radiation - they would have started showing symptoms the moment they’d arrived. It’s not an illness, or starvation, or disease. How can something be so stealthy. What’s killing them?

At the worrying thoughts, her attention drifted to the man standing beside her, and she took a moment to study his outline. He was tense, shoulders rigid, arms crossed across his chest. Glancing up at his face, she found his expression cold, brown eyes focused on a single spot on the screen.

Following his gaze, her eyes landed on the screen which held his interest, just above eyelevel.

Oh.

Alexandra Evans’ defiant grey eyes stared back at them, her vitals - dead. 

Her transmission had been one of those lost during the night.

Abby frowned, feeling a pang of regret at the thought of the girl being dead. She’d only known her distantly, Alex having shared quite a few classes with Clarke during school, the two girls got along quite well. She’d always found the other blonde to be smart and kind, even though she’d been a bit of a troublemaker when she was younger - often caught out in the halls, up to no good, always with a cheeky grin and a witty excuse on her lips.

As nice as she’d thought the girl was, she knew that she’d also had her issues. Alex was a child of the system. Her mother had died at birth, her father’s identity unknown. She’d been raised by caretakers, mostly by the elderly Mrs. Mallory, or Mrs. M. as everyone called her, the guardian for all the children of who lost both parents in some way or another. Abby knew that Alex’s rebelliousness was a matter of trying to figure out who she was, trying to distance herself from her often smothering guardian.

Somewhere along the way, she’d become fast friends with Nathan Miller and Liam Kane, Marcus’ son, the three of them were often out and about, causing mischief and creating chaos for the rest of the Ark. But they were good kids, knowing their boundaries, the rules and never causing any harm. 

As a close friend of Marcus’ son, Alex had spent plenty of time at their house, the elder Kane quickly becoming one of the only figures of authority the wild blonde would respond to. When she wasn’t at the Kane’s residence, she would only be found at Lieutenant Miller’s residence, rarely returning to her bed at Mrs. M’s.

She’d come to the Medbay once, when she’d been no older than nine. Kane had brought her in, shaken and crying after being accidentally locked into a small maintenance shaft during a hide and seek game gone-awry. The girl had been upset, understandably so, and after the incident, things seemed to change, and Alex calmed down, behaving better during school and spending less time looking for trouble, even influencing Liam and Nathan to do the same.

Things had been going so well, the young girl turning into a beautiful young woman, who’d spent plenty of time reading about anything she could get her hands on, had a surprising aptitude for building things. She’d even applied to the Engineer and Mech Sectors for apprenticeships, and had been set to join when she’d finished school.

Then a couple of years ago, out of the blue, things changed.

Alex killed two guards, and had attempted to kill Liam.

It had come to a shock to everyone who knew them. They had been so close. No one could figure out why she’d done it. The only ‘witness’ had only heard the commotion and arrived just in time to find Alex kneeling in a pool of blood, knife in one hand, leaning over the bleeding out Liam. 

The attack was violent and bloody. Both guards had suffered multiple stab wounds. Liam with only two, one to the chest and one to the neck, as well as head trauma, but the wounds were serious and Abby had spent days on end keeping him alive. In the end he was alive, but in a come. He had yet to wake up. And she knew that it was a slim hope that he ever would.

When Alex had been taken into custody, she’d screamed and pleaded, saying that it had been set up, but in a cold fury, Marcus had determined reasonable cause and in the end she was locked away. She’d been set to be reviewed when she turned eighteen, however her punishment was guaranteed: flotation, the moment she turned eighteen.

Marcus had waited two years for justice to be had against her for trying to murder his son, but it never came. Not the way he’d wanted it.

Everyone locked up in the Skybox had been sent down to Earth - including Alex.

In his eyes, Alex had never paid for what she’d done. Instead, she had been pardoned. And so far, she’d survived, escaping the punishment she deserved.

Until now.

From the tense set of his jaw and the hard edges around his eyes, he was clearly unhappy with the outcome.

"Marcus," she hesitated. "I'm sorry."

Sorry for what, she didn't know. That the girl was dead? That justice had finally been served? That it hadn’t? Or that it hadn’t made a difference to the outcome?

She didn’t know.

After a moment, he took a deep breath. "I feel like I should be relieved. The person who tried to murder my son is finally dead," he said softly, his voice steely. "But I don't." He continued, motioning a hand towards her screen. "She finally gets what she deserved. But my son-" his voice cracked over the word and he cleared his throat before continuing to talk, "my son will never wake up."

Abby felt the need to reassure him in some way, knowing the pain of losing a loved one. 

Reaching out she put a hand gently on his shoulder. “He could still wake up. His responses... have shown improvement. There’s still a chance for him to make it out. As long as you keep talking to him, there’s always a chance he could wake up.”

It was true...to a point. The boy’s responses had changed, but it was so minimal that it didn’t mean anything. And it had been so long, Abby thought sadly. If he woke up, it would be a miracle. 

Marcus pulled away from her, movements harsh as he met her eyes with a dark glare. “I don’t need your false hopes. You’ve said so yourself, his chance of waking is minimal.”

“There’s always hope,” she told him firmly, eyes flickering back to Clarke’s picture. We just need to believe.

“Like your hope that the Earth would be survivable?” he asked scornfully, motioning to the number of dead screens with a shake of his head. “I don’t need that kind of hope.”

Abby flinched at the jab and opened her mouth, but couldn’t find words to say. All she could do is watch as Marcus turned away and heading for the door. 

>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~

Marcus stood in the doorway of the dimly lit room, hands tucked protectively under his arms, his eyesight almost unfocused as he stared down at the still figure lying in the bed across from him, ignoring the constant beeps which permeated the room around him

From his gentle breathing and relaxed expression, he could have nearly convinced himself that his son was only resting. Merely asleep. That at the change in the light from the open doorway, his grey eyes would flutter open, and that telltale mischievous grin would find it’s way across his face.

He wished he could convince himself that that was the case.

But he knew better.

His son had been like this for a long time now. His body keeping his basic bodily functions going through instinct, his brain doing just enough to keep him alive, but that was it. 

He barely showed any sign of responsiveness. Marcus had watched as Abby had tested his son, using various forms of stimulus to determine the degree of his coma. Other than slight eye movement and very slight reflexive withdrawal to pain stimulus, he showed very little reaction. 

At first he had believed that these were good signs, showing that his son was coming back to him, but Abby had explained that the body can respond to pain and try to protect itself even when in a coma. She had then continued to explain, her voice lowering to a gentle tone, that the responses were very minimal, that this was most likely how he will remain.

Never to open his eyes. Never again to walk or speak or laugh.

The coma had been caused by a combination of blood loss from the gash on his neck, and the impact of his head against the floor when he’d fallen. The swelling had put his brain under great pressure, one which had only been relieved through several surgeries. It had stabilised nearly a year after, and there had been a small hope that as his vitals leveled out, he would slowly wake up.

But it never happened.

Stepping into the room, he allowed the door to slide shut behind him, and he sank down into the familiarly uncomfortable chair next to the bed, resting his arms on his knees, eyes never leaving the peaceful face, taking in all the details as if it were the first time. 

Liam had lost weight over time. Slimming down, losing all his baby fat until he looked thin, sickly almost. But Abby had said that it could have been worse; they had the ability to counteract some of the effects of the coma, his muscle mass being maintained through neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and Marcus himself shared his own food ratios to keep him alive.

As his gaze landed on his son’s hair, a small exasperated smile crossed his face as he gave a shake of his head.

Time for a haircut, he thought fondly, smoothing the sandy hair back and away from his forehead, the tone and feel so similar to his mother’s, that it sent a pang of sadness through his chest, and he forced his thoughts in a different direction. He didn’t know if his next train of thought was any better.

Alex…He sighed heavily.

He didn’t know what to think. She’d been scheduled to be floated for a long time now, he’d even pushed for it himself, thinking in some ruthless way, that if she died it would make things better.

Now she was gone.

And nothing had changed.

His son was still lying here, his condition the same. Marcus’ own chest ached something hollow at the thought.

Maybe it’s time to let go, his mind told him somberly. If tomorrow, you are going to propose the Reduction Plan, the killing of innocent people, just so that a few survive, you need to be willing to let go.

That was the hard part. Marcus knew he was stubborn when he put his mind to something, whatever the consequences. But this decision couldn’t be taken lightly. Sacrifice a few for the greater good. He would need to show his commitment to his plan.

Bowing his head, he ran his hand tiredly over his face, ignoring the way his hands shook at the thought.

The Ark was dying.

His breath caught in his throat as it suddenly hit him. His own son would be part of the Reduction Plan. Everything suddenly made complete sense. In his own way he’d been holding onto a distant hope that things would slowly get better. That there was light at the end of the tunnel. That life on the Ark would improve, that his son would suddenly wake up.

But now he knew, there was no hope, no light, only empty space. Only death.

What did Alex see before her death? The thought suddenly struck him, made him feel sick. Was Earth as green as it looked from here? Had she seen trees, flowers and animals? He shook his head. She didn’t deserve it. The world around her should have been burning, should have been hell. He thought with a sneer, clenching his fists, the anger that usually simmered at the thought feeling hollow and raw.

She’d gotten the punishment for her crime. A life for a life. She’d killed two men and attempted to kill another. She’d attempted to kill Liam, he reminded himself, and his anger surged. Clenching his hands into fists, Marcus resisted the urge to punch something.

Did she even know what she’d left behind? The pain she had caused? He ran his hands through his hair, willing it to go away.

But you remember the way she’d pleaded, the way she looked at you, as if you betrayed her when she’d told you all her excuses, and you still sent her away. His mind reminded him.

It was true, she’d tried to excuse what she’d done. But the cold hard truth was that the death of two people, two guards, were on her hands. And now she’d paid for her crimes. Not that it mattered, he thought bitterly, nothing had come from her death. No comfort, no solace. Only the painful reminder that caring for anyone always guaranteed to hurt. Her death hadn’t been the first.

And it wouldn’t be the last. He thought morosely, his attention returning to his son.

He had allowed his son to live for too long, carrying with him a hope that it would change, that things would get better. He was being selfish, clinging to that hope with all his might.

But it was time to let go. It was time he focused on the things he could do with the little time that remained. He needed to steel his mind, to close his heart completely.

The Ark needed him, the people needed him to be a true leader, someone who could make the tough decisions. Someone who had no problem sacrificing their own child for the greater good.

Blinking away the sudden wetness in his eyes, he steeled himself. He couldn’t be emotional. He couldn’t be shaky. The Council would see it, pounce on it, say that his resolve wasn’t certain, and they wouldn’t even consider the matter. How could they expect to make some sacrifices, when he couldn’t make any of his own?

It’s time to say goodbye.

Leaning over, he smoothed back his son’s hair, before planting a gentle kiss on his exposed forehead, knowing that soon his son would be gone.

“Goodbye, son.”

Standing up, he cleared his throat, straightening his shoulders and hardening his expression.

No weakness. Be unmovable.

Taking one last look at his son, he turned away and headed toward the door, but as he turned movement from the bed caught his eye. Heart leaping to his throat, he whirled around to fully face the bed, looking for any further signs of what had caught his attention.

Unconsciously, he held his breath. Had it been merely been a figment of his imagination?

The constant sound of the beeped machines brought his mind back to reality. There was only one movement, and that was his son’s steady breathing.

The momentary swell of hope was quick to die in his chest. Nothing but a hopeful thought. He thought bitterly, turning away once more and stepping through the door, not turning back again.

I don’t need false hopes.


	13. Chapter 13

They’d finally found him.

Strung up in a tree, on the far side of the clearing, arms bound tightly above his head. Chest bare, glistening with sweat.

A red streak ran down his chest and she swallowed harshly, knowing, without a doubt, that it was blood. It had trickled down from the side of his neck, the wound open and raw. 

When he let out a low, pained moan, head shifting slightly, she heard the gasp of relief from behind her and couldn’t resist giving a sigh of her own.

They’d found him. And he was alive.

But if they didn’t hurry, he wouldn’t be for much longer. The steady blood flow wasn’t a good sign.

“We need to get him down,” she mumbled back to the others, taking a step forwards, beginning her trek across the clearing, treading cautiously, yet with determination, through the long grass. Her footsteps made no sound on the foliage below.

Reaching the base of the tree, she realized that he was strung up a lot higher than she’d thought, his knees at eye level. They would need to get him down.

Her heart seized painfully when he gave another pained moan. Reaching up, she rest her hand on his shin comfortingly.

“We’re here, don’t worry - we’re going to get you down,” she told him softly, before beginning to address the others, “Come on, we’ve got to…” But the words died on her lips as she turned around.

There was no one there.

Heart suddenly pounding in her chest, she wildly looked around for anyone else, knowing that they had to be there - they’d been there only seconds before!

But the clearing was empty. There was no sound, no sign that anyone had been with her at all.

Taking a shaky breath, she back around to look up at Jasper, reaching for his pant leg, knowing that she needed to get him down, even without the help of the others, but her hand froze as she stared up at him.

It wasn’t Jasper.

The skin tone was wrong. The hair was wrong. The curve of his nose, the furrow of his brow, his cheeks, his chin.

It was all wrong.

“Liam?” The word escaped her like a breath. It’s meaning terrifying her. 

No, no, no nononono.

He shouldn’t be here. He couldn’t be here. He was still on the Ark. A thousand mile away.

He couldn’t be here.

Shaking her head, she stumbled back, away from the tree, staring at him in disbelief. Her breaths coming

“He’s going to die because of you.”

The calm voice behind her made her jump and she whirled around to face it, suddenly finding herself face to face with one person she dreaded to face more than anything.

Marcus Kane.

He stood there, just as she remembered him, still in the same uniform she had seen him wear the day she had been locked away. The day her life had ended.

But this time was different. His expression wasn’t one of anger, or hatred. Instead a calm disappointment had settled on his face.

She trembled. “But I didn’t do it.” The world's crawled pitifully from her lips like a whimper.

He stared at her, grey eyes hard, hands clasped behind his back, before his gaze wandered above her head, and he stared up at his son almost longingly.

“He was the only one who truly cared about you,” Marcus said, shaking his head, his voice taking a sorrowful tone. “And look where that got him.” His eyes flickered down to meet her own. “But I think we both know that you’ll never find redemption for what you did. Now you’re all alone.”

Tears blurred her eyes, her lips trembling as she shook her head. But she knew he was wrong, and she forced herself to meet his gaze. “I. didn’t. do. it.” She told him as firmly as she could.

A flickers of darkness crossed his face and suddenly he was in front of her, hand grasping her wrist, pushing her backwards. 

With a cry she fell back onto the tree. She could feel Liam’s legs behind her, shins digging painfully into her back.

“Why would I believe you,” he snarled down at her, anger seeming to over take his features as he yanked her wrist up between them. “When you are still holding the blade?”

Eyes falling to her their hands, she was startled to see the familiar knife clasped tightly in her hand. Her skin shiny, slick and red. Blood.

“You’ve been found guilty of your crime,” he spat down at her, before forcing her hand back towards her neck, the tip sliding easily into her soft skin. “For that, you’ll always be alone.”

With a gasp her eyes snapped open, and for one quiet moment, everything stood still. Staring at the roof of their makeshift tent she waited for the pounding of her heart to calm.

A dream, it was only a dream.

Sitting up, she noticed the wetness around her eyes and hastily wiped it away. With a deep shuddering breath, she pushed away the last echoes of her dream and glanced around the tent, trying to ignore the cold ache in her chest. Seeing Jemma lay sprawled out not too far away, mouth parted in sleep, soft snores emanating from her, brought her a measure of relief and a small smile crossed her face. 

Her smile quickly fell, a frown taking its place as she regarded the empty spot where Charlotte had laid down to sleep the night before. A quick glance around told her the girl wasn’t in the tent.

Covering the yawn that threatened to escape, she knew from the heaviness of her eyes, and the darkness of the tent that it was late at night. She couldn’t hear any movement from the camp outside and knew everyone else must still be asleep.

Maybe she had to pee?

Alex rubbed her face, trying to decided whether it was worth trying to go back to sleep, or if she should give up and have one more sleepless night, and go look for Charlotte. When a distant pained moan broke through the stillness of the night, she froze, her eyes fluttered closed, lips falling into a grimace. Not for the first time, she felt terrible for wishing that it would stop.

It had been a couple of days since they’d arrived back at camp, and Jasper’s condition remained much the same. Clarke had stuck by his side day and night, looking for something -anything- that would help him, but nothing seemed to be working. His pain filled moans and screams a constant reminder that he wasn’t okay.

It was setting everyone on edge. 

Including her. Every night, her sleep had been riddled with nightmares, his screams bringing forward all the demons in her mind. 

She couldn’t seem to make them stop.

When he moaned again, she rubbed her hands tiredly across her eyes, deciding she may as well just get up, since she clearly wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep tonight. Quickly double checking to make sure Jemma was warm and wrapped up in her makeshift blanket, Alex lifted the flap that covered the entrance to their tent and stepped out into the chilly night air, her warm breath suddenly visible before her.

Pulling her hands into her jacket sleeves, she tucked them under her arms in an effort to keep warm, as her tired eyes took in the area around the dropship. Everything was dark and, for the most part, silent; the crackle of a few of the fires the group had decided to keep running during the night filling the air. Other than the small section of the wall they’d begun building a few days ago, they still had no defenses, so the constant fires seemed to give them a small measure of reassurance. 

That, and the night watch had been reluctantly set up. Blake had decided it was worth having someone awake and aware at all times. And while convincing most of the teens to volunteer had been akin to pulling teeth, eventually short rotations had been set up to keep an eye on things during the night.

Stepping away from her tent, which was located towards the edge of the clearing, she made her way towards the dropship, deciding it would be worth checking in on Clarke first, knowing the other girl was probably still awake. A small sigh of exasperation escaped her at the thought, the other girl had been running herself ragged trying to find a way to help Jasper.

I wonder who’s on watch tonight?

Coming around the corner, she arrived at the ramp of the drop ship, her mouth suddenly going dry as she recognized the person currently on watch duty.

Having heard her approach, Nathan turned towards the sound to see who was coming, but when his gaze landed on her, they both froze. His expression was carefully blank as he studied her, his gaze flickering across her face searchingly before he pointedly looked away and out towards the rest of the camp.

Shoulder sagging with a small sigh, she turned her own gaze away, resuming her walk up the ramp with a frown. She didn’t know what to feel about his reaction. In fact, it puzzled her.

Well, it wasn’t hateful glaring and it didn’t involve him screaming at you, so take it as an improvement. Take what you can get.

Feeling a little more lighthearted at the thought, even though she knew she was only fooling herself, she ducked through the draping that covered the entrance to the ship, her gaze immediately landing on an awake, but clearly exhausted looking Clarke. The curly haired girl was kneeling next to the still unconscious Jasper, one hand under his neck, the other holding a cup up to his lips, trying to coax him to sip some water. From the frustrated frown on her face, she wasn’t having much luck.

Making her way over, Alex carefully stepped over a snoring Monty and silently knelt down beside Clarke, the other girl glancing up at her as she arrived, her expression lifting briefly in greeting. 

“Hey,” she whispered in return, keeping her voice low, mindful of the others sleeping in the room. “How’re things going? Any change?”

Clarke heaved a tired sigh, wiping away some of the sweat that had accumulated on Jaspers brow with a damp cloth before leaning back with a small shrug. “I- don’t know.” She paused, staring at her, looking hesitant about what she wanted to say. After glancing around the ship, she leaned towards her, her brows furrowed in concern. “He should have started improving by now. There should have been a change, something, anything. But this fever,” she whispered, then swallowed, “if it doesn’t break soon-”

She didn’t need to finish the sentence for Alex to know what she meant.

He still might not make it.

Looking up at Clarke, Alex could see how the other girl was affected by his condition. She was trying her best to help him, and despite everything, it still didn’t seem good enough.

Reaching out, she put a hand on the other girl’s shoulder, drawing her attention, giving her a small smile. “Clarke,” she began firmly, “if there’s anyone who can help him here, it’s you. I don’t doubt for one second that you can do this. Don’t get discouraged, he’s not gone yet.”

Clarke gave her a grateful look. “I know, I know. It’s just - hard,” she said rubbing her face. “People keep talking about him, saying - wishing - that he would die already.”

“Hey, don’t let them get to you. They don’t know anything about this stuff. You do. If you think there a chance that he’ll get better, than he’ll get better,” she replied, in a matter-of-fact tone, giving her a small smile. “Look, medical stuff isn’t really my thing, but is there a way to get him any medicine for the fever? A plant or something you could use?”

Clarke’s expression lit up for a second and she reached behind herself, grabbing at something before pulling it around. It was the green wrap that had been placed on Jasper’s wound when they found him. Clarke held it out towards her and unfolded it, Alex grimacing at the sight. It was full of some red-brown looking paste.

“See this?” Clarke asked, poking at the material with one finger, moving it around. “Someone put this on his chest, over the wound. At first I thought it was just some sort of bandage. Now, I’m starting to think it’s a type of poultice to keep down the infection and inflammation.”

Eyebrows raised, Alex was impressed. “That’s good, right? That means we can get some more.”

Clarke gave a disgruntled quirk of her lips. “Yeah, except we don’t know what it’s made of. It could literally be anything.”

Leaning over, Alex curiously peered down at the red paste, with a frown she realized she could see pieces of roots. “Hm, well it’s a plant of some sort.” She pointed at the edge, “See that there? That’s part of the root system.” A tentative idea crossed her mind, but she hesitated before suggesting it. “You...could ask Wells about it. He’s really good at this plant stuff, you know?”

She instantly regretted bringing up the other boy as Clarke’s expression shut down, and she sat back, pulling away from her. “Yeah, no, I’m good.”

Alex sighed, knowing that she should probably keep her mouth shut, but couldn’t resist prodding a little more, “You should really talk to him. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but, well, he’s really torn up about it.”

Clarke shot her a cool glare, “You right, you don’t know what’s going on.” She snapped back, voice harsh even in her whisper. “How about this - I talk to Wells when you find the guts to talk to Miller.”

Alex flinched back with a grimace. Ouch.

For a second both girls sat in an uncomfortable silence, both staring down at Jasper, who’s laboured breathing filled the air.

“I guess I deserved that one.” She sighed, “Sorry. I... didn’t mean to push. I guess we’ve both got our people issues, huh?” She tried apologizing, giving her a tentative smile, and Clarke expression softened slightly before she nodded in agreement.

Both were silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

I guess it’s easier said than done, isn’t it. Alex sighed.

After a moment, Alex motioned for Clarke to pass her the cloth they were using to keep him cool. Dunking it in the nearly bucket that had been set up, she wrung out the excess water before wiping his face and draping it over his forehead.

Clarke watched her before piping up. “I saw Charlotte earlier.” She began, and Alex shot her an inquiring glance, “She was sleeping outside, just on the ridge. She was having a nightmare.” 

With a frown, Alex leaned back. She was sleeping outside? “That’s...weird. Normally she sleeps in the tent with me and Jemma. But I didn’t see her when I woke up.” She shook her head. “She alright?”

“Maybe this has been bothering her as well?” Clarke suggested, nodding her head towards Jasper. “She seemed pretty shaken up.” She paused, looking hesitant for a second. “She dreams about her parents, did you know?” She said softly, a flicker of sadness -understanding - crossing her face. “They were both floated.”

Seeing the flicker of sorrow cross Clarke’s face left Alex with a hollow feeling in her chest. She knew Clarke’s father had been floated right before the other girl had been arrested. And while she couldn’t understand what it felt like to lose a parent, she did know what it felt like to lose someone close to her.

After all, can’t miss what you never had. She thought bitterly before turning her thoughts to Charlotte.

It made sense the younger girl would want to be by herself. Nightmares were never an enjoyable thing, and she knew from experience that people tended to want to deal with them on their own, either to avoid worrying others, or the potential embarrassment of waking up everyone around you after screaming bloody-murder in your sleep.

Sometimes people liked to be alone with their demons. Alex knew that well enough.

“She was also curious about you.” Clarke blurted out, interrupting her thoughts and Alex’s brow furrowed, wondering what she meant. “Well...about how you ended up in the Skybox. She was asking if what the other’s were saying was true.”

Great.

“Oh…” Alex hesitated, debating on whether she wanted to ask what Clarke had told Charlotte, or what the younger girl now thought of her. “And did you-?”

Clarke shook her head quickly in response, “No. I didn’t really tell her anything, just said she should talk to you if she wanted to know the truth. It wasn’t my place to say.”

“Ah, yeah. It’s not really something I enjoy talking about.” Alex said simply in return, trying not to meet the other girl’s eyes. “Thanks for not saying anything. I’ll see if I can talk to her tomorrow.”

Clarke frowned at her, eyes darting across her face, and Alex had the sudden awkward feeling of being critically examined. “Have you been sleeping well?” she asked.

Alex shot her a dry look, “I’m here right now, aren’t I?” Referring to the early hour. At Clarke’s narrowed gaze she sighed before continuing, “I guess I’ve been having nightmares of my own.” She said softly, wringing the cloth out again, wiping Jasper’s face, trying to ignore Clarke’s scrutinizing gaze.

>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~

The next morning camp was full of activity. Most of the delinquents were quick to get up and begin their day, getting supplies together to continue building the wall, putting together makeshift tents or getting ready for the hunting trip planned for that day. The meat they’d been eating for the past couple of days was now completely gone, all of them too eager at the idea of finally having something to eat.

Weaving in and out of teenagers and dodging small piles of firewood, Alex kept up her determined pace, eyes alert, searching for any sign of the familiar blonde head that she was looking for. 

Where did that girl run off to? 

As she walked passed Harper, who was busy tearing up some long strips of the parachute, she paused a few steps away from her. “Hey, have you seen Charlotte anywhere?”

Harper glanced up at her with a smile, pushing her sandy hair out of her face and behind her ears. “Yeah! Saw her not too long ago, she was heading that way,” she pointed with her knife, “I think she was looking for you too.” She supplied helpfully.

“Thanks.” Alex gave her a grateful look in return, before making her way in the direction the other girl had indicated, keeping an eye out for the familiar head. 

It wasn’t long before she located her. Charlotte was standing next to a tree, her body almost hidden behind it as she peered around, watching some of the guys attempt to throw their handmade knives at a tree, failing each time at getting the blade to stick into the thick bark. Her face was one of curious fascination, eyes wide and mouth partially opened as she watched.

Hands shoved in her jacket pockets, Alex came up to stand beside her, watching the guys repeated failed attempts and couldn’t help shake her head in amusement. They were hopeless.

Charlotte finally seemed to notice her presence and turned to glance up at her. “I want to learn how to do that,” she stated firmly.

Alex raised a brow in response, “What, no hello or anything?” When the girl ignored her comment and turned to continue gazing at the activity, she sighed. “Well, either way, it’s probably not worth them teaching you.”

Charlotte frowned at her comment. “Why’s that?”

With an amused quirk of her lips she nodded towards them, where Atom had thrown his own blade and it bounced harmlessly off the bark. “Ah, for one thing, they aren’t very good at it.” Alex stated with a snort. One of the guys nearby must have heard her because he shot them a nasty look in response. Rolling her eyes at him, she spun away motioning for Charlotte to follow her with a tilt of her head. “C’mon. Let’s move away. I think they’re more likely to hurt themselves or someone else before actually getting that tree.”

Making their way to the edge of clearing, Alex sat on a log and motioned for Charlotte to do the same.

The young girl did as requested, her eyes locked seriously on Alex’s face. 

“Can you teach me how to use a knife?” Charlotte asked abruptly, when Alex opened her mouth to reply, she was quick to continue, “I know you have one, I’ve seen it,” she added quickly, nodding towards her boot, the words seeming to tumble past her lips in a rush. “And I know you know how to use it, isn’t that how you killed those guys and ended up in the Skybox? You could teach me,” she said curiously.

Nearly falling off of her seat in shock, Alex tried to will away the sudden cold shiver that swept down her spine at how casually Charlotte mentioned her crime. For a moment, her mind stumbled over itself as she tried to come up with a way to answer that question. Staring at the girl beside her, she noted the complete unflinching seriousness on the other girl’s face.

She certainly doesn’t pull her punches.

Alex mumbled under her breath in slight annoyance. Why was she so surprised that someone had blabbed? It not like the rest of the delinquents would share Clarke’s discretion when it came to these things. Most of them didn’t give two shits about her and would gladly tell Charlotte if she asked them.

“Charlotte,” she began, not entirely sure which subject her mind wanted to handle first. Yes, she’d killed those men, but considering the last time she had tried to explain her reasons and was rejected, she wasn’t prepared to deal with that again. 

Pushing the thought away, she frowned. Charlotte looked up at her with far more interest than Alex liked. Her eyes sparkled with intensity, her curiosity keeping her enthralled, looking like she was prepared for a story instead of a real life struggle.

Why is she so interested? Something about her fixation bothered her. Was it a matter of feeling the need to fit in?

“Charlotte,” she began again, choosing each word carefully. There was a lot of peer pressure going on around camp, Alex knew that. Trying to convince a little girl not to listen to those who talked about killing as a glorious even was going to be tough. But she needed to try. “Knowing how to kill- to actually take a person’s life is- it…” She trailed off, running a hand through her hair, trying and failing to find the words she needed. 

How do you explain to a little girl that killing is wrong, when her parents had been floated for merely trying to survive? She wasn’t a mother. Hell, she’d never really had one of her own. “It’s not as glorious as some make it out to be,” she finally muttered. “I didn’t kill for fun...I didn’t kill because I wanted to.” Her words failed her, and she decided she didn’t want to go into the detail that the young girl seemed to be interested in. They needed to change the subject to something else.

Alex cleared her throat, “Clarke mentioned you were having nightmares last night. Is that why you left the tent?”

Breaking her stare, Charlotte turned away to glare at the floor before nodding. “I had to get away,” she explained softly and Alex knew instantly she was referring to Jasper. After a breath the young girl continued, “and, I- I didn’t want to wake you guys up.” She added meekly, seeming to shrink into herself, her back hunching as if she were trying to disappear into the tree behind her.

Alex was flooded with sympathy for the young girl, knowing how torturous nightmares could be. Sliding off of her log, she ducked down, kneeling in front of her, grasping the other girl's hands with a compassionate glance. “Charlotte, if you ever need to talk, to wake me up for something, for anything, don’t hesitate,” she said firmly. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong. So if you need me anytime, even if it’s in the middle of the night, just let me know, okay?” She told her softly giving her hands a squeeze. “Anytime.” 

After a moment, Charlotte gave a small nod in response. “Okay.”

“Okay,” she breathed with a firm nod. Knowing that the other girl needed something else to focus on she continued, “So, today, I think Jemma is probably going to hang out with Harper and help her make some more tents, if you wanted to give them a hand?” Alex suggested.

Charlotte gave her a puzzled look, “Why, what are you doing? Are you going out?”

Alex nodded. “I’m going to head out with some of the guys. They’re going to go hunting, and if they’re knife skills are anything to go by, then they’ll probably need help.” An amused grin crossed her face hoping to get one in response. 

But instead the young girl leapt to her feet, forcing a startled Alex to do the same to keep herself from landing on her ass. 

“Can I come with you? Can I, please?” Charlotte asked her, her face alight with excitement and, for the first time, Alex saw a childlike expression cross her normally stoic face. “I can help, I can learn.” She added eagerly, staring up at her, eyes bright. 

Surprised at the girl’s sudden exuberance, Alex hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek, already feeling the beginning of the girl's disappointment when she didn’t immediately answer the question. It wasn’t the she didn’t want to take her out, she just didn’t know if she was willing to take the chance that things could go terribly wrong while they were out, and she wouldn’t be able to protect her. Here, she was surrounded by people who would, with a few exceptions, have her back. Out there, on the other hand, she would be completely exposed. 

What if something goes wrong? What it we run into more dangerous animals? What if we run into Grounders? She couldn’t take the risk that Charlotte would end up like Jasper, or worse. No matter how much the young girl might dislike the answer.

Taking a breath, she tried to be gentle in her response, “Charlotte…”

“I’m not a little girl,” Charlotte interrupted her with a glare, looking like she already knew her answer. “I don’t need babying.”

“I’m not babying you,” Alex said soothingly, raising her hands up in front of her, showing she wasn’t meaning to cause any harm. “And I’m not saying that you can’t go because you’re a little girl. Believe me, I’m not. I’ve been there and I totally understand how infuriating and frustrating it can be.” She continued, keeping her tone calm so the other girl wouldn’t think she was mocking her. 

When Charlotte opened her mouth to interrupt her, she held up a hand to halt her. “Wait, let me finish.” When Charlotte closed her mouth reluctantly, and turned to glare at the ground, Alex took that as her chance to continue. “Look, I would love to take you out there. I really would.” She gave her a sympathetic look. “But you have to understand. It’s extremely dangerous out there. Not just for you, not just me, but for all of us. We’ve only been here for a couple of days and we’ve nearly had a couple of close calls, and with Jasper-” She trailed off when Charlotte’s expression melted slowly from anger, to reluctant acceptance, and she knew her point had been received. “I just can’t worry about you, and everything else at the same time.”

“I know, I know,” Charlotte said, sounding deflated but frustrated, looking like she knew that Alex was right. ”But how can I learn to defend myself if nobody will teach me?”

Leaning over, Alex put her hands on her shoulders, leaning down so that they were eye to eye grey eyes meeting blue. “Charlotte, I promise I will teach you, okay? I will. It’s just going to have to wait until the right time, alright?” She made sure that the other girl nodded before giving her a smile, noting how standoffish the other girl seemed, her eyes flickering away from her own and landing anywhere except for her face.

Alex sighed before straightening up. “Okay, let’s catch up with Harper and Jemma and get you settled.”

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~

After dropping off Charlotte with the others, Alex made her way over to where some of the guys were getting ready to head out on the hunt. Atom stood in the middle of the group, handing out knives and handmade spears to everyone who needed one. 

“We’re going to need a few more people if we’re going to actually catch anything,” Atom was telling one of the other guys as she arrived. When he spotted her, he gave her a nod, eyeing her curiously. “You in, Evans?” he called out to her.

Taken by surprise at his willingness to talk to her, she hesitated, eyes widening slightly as she stared at him. Except for the few who she interacted with the most, everyone else gave her a wide berth, treating her warily, or ignoring her entirely. 

His attitude was refreshing, and she felt an honest grin twitch at her lips in reply, her eyes crinkling with the sudden flash of happiness that shot through her. 

“Definitely, count me in,” she told him with a firm nod, ignoring the glances the other guys shared in response. Atom ignored them and tipped his head at her in response before turning back to the guy next to him.

When a pain filled scream broke through the morning air, everyone in the area froze, some turning to eye the dropship with worry, others with spite. 

“God, I wish the guy would just die already,” spat one of the guys in the hunting group, gripping his knife tightly as he eyed the dropship with a deep loathing that really settled poorly with Alex.

Gritting her teeth, she shot him a total look of disgust as he kept talking. “Although, we won’t have to listen to his incessant moaning when we’re out. Thank god.”

Anger shot through her and she took a step towards him, dark satisfaction shooting through her when his eyes jumped up at her sudden movement. She would have found the way his eyes widened fearfully comical, if she weren’t so disgusted with him.

“How about you shut up,” she snapped at him, expression stormy, before extending her arm to point at the drop ship. “Imagine if it were you in there fighting for your life, but you’re in so much pain that all you can do is cry out? How would it make you feel to know that some assholes were complaining that you were inconveniencing them by trying to stay alive?” She spat at them, and he shifted nervously in his seat, glancing around, looking for a way out. But she wasn’t done yet. “If a Grounder put a spear through you right now, would you want us to save you? Or would you rather I just slit your throat, put you out of your misery, because you wouldn’t stop your incessant moaning?” When Atom purposely walked between them, breaking her glare, she snorted in disgust, turning away. “Jasper is in there, fighting for his life. So how ‘bout you shut your fucking mouths and start wishing him a swift recovery.” 

These guys have no idea what they’re talking about. If it were one of them in there, they wouldn’t be so ready to die.

Turning away, she returned her gaze to the entrance of the drop ship, watching with interest as Blake came storming down the ramp, stride angry as he shrugged on his jacket over his blue shirt. As he made his way towards them, her mood changed to mild delight at the angry scowl on his face, and briefly wondered what had set him off. She wasn’t the only one having an off day.

Her delight changed to pure joy when she watched Blake tell Murphy he would be staying back in camp instead of going on the hunt. The unhappy scowl that crossed the psychotic boy’s face as he stormed away, brought a satisfactory smile to her own. 

However, her smile slipped from her face when Blake turned towards her, took one unimpressed look at her and said a single word.

“No,” he stated before turning away.

A scowl crossed her face as she pushed herself to her feet and strode after him. She could see his scowl deepen even though he refused to acknowledge her again.

“No, what?” she asked innocently, purposely playing stupid.

“No, you are not coming with us,” he elaborated evenly, keeping his gaze straight ahead.

“Well, it’s a good thing I wasn’t asking then,” she replied, matching his tone, shoving her hands in her pockets. Glancing up at him, she noticed how his eyebrow twitched in annoyance and felt somewhat smug at his response.

He stopped and turned towards her and she followed suit, staring up at him expectantly, wondering what he was going to say to keep her from coming. After a short exhale, he met her eyes, and she raised an eyebrow in response.

“You don’t know how to hunt,” he said, frowning down at her.

She couldn’t stop the snort of amusement that escaped her, and the amused grin that followed. “Really?” She asked him with wry amusement, cocking her head up at him, “Of all the reasons you give, it's ‘you don’t know how to hunt’?” She shook her head. “So, tell me, Blake, when exactly was the last time you, or anyone here really, has ever been hunting?” She looked up at him expectantly, watching the flicker of anger cross his features as he clenched his jaw.

Suddenly, she felt bad about giving him a hard time. A small amount of guilt swirled through her. It had only been two days since he had stopped Murphy - had saved her. And all she had given him in return was irrational angry words. She just didn’t know what to do about it. Her and Blake were never exactly on good terms.

She sighed, the exhaustion from the lack of sleep during the past couple of days suddenly catching up to her. “Look, I’m coming with you guys whether you like it or not.. So there’s no point in wasting time over it.” She told him simply, dropping the attitude. “We should get moving. The sooner we go, the sooner we come back. And the sooner this lot can eat.” She nodded her head in the direction of the others. 

His eyes narrowed momentarily down at her, the furrow between his brow deepening as he studied her face. For a second he looked like he was about to say something else, but stopped himself, nodding his head with a single motion before turning away. 

Watching him go, puzzlement swept through her and she wondered what he’d been about to say, his expression not giving anything away. After a moment, she shrugged it off, and followed him to the rest of the hunting party. 

If he wanted to say something to her, he would have. He’d never held back before.

~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~~>~>~>~~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~

The walk through the forest was fairly peaceful if you ignored the constant cracking of branches from the uncoordinated, bumbling teenagers around her, each noise setting her on edge.

Honestly, I don’t think they could be louder if they tried, she thought dryly, shooting a glare at a nearby boy who had seemingly managed to trip over his own feet and into a huge pile of branches, to which he then began to swearing loudly. When his buddy’s choked on their laughter, Alex had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to reign in her rapidly growing temper, jaw clenched tightly. Adjusting her grip on her knife, she opened her eyes and turned away, looking out into the surrounding forest, searching for any signs of unwanted visitors or edible animals. “We’re never going to catch anything,” she grumbled to herself.

Nearby, Blake seemed to share her annoyance, because after low sound of frustrating he sighed loudly before proclaiming that they might have better luck if they spread out a bit, before turning and heading off in a completely different direction from the other idiots in the group, axe clenched tightly in hand 

Staring after him, Alex suddenly realized that this was her chance to talk to him without being the spectacle of the rest of the group. 

Biting her lip, she hesitated momentarily before making her way after him, her own pace slightly slower. She bit back a groan when she heard someone else follow in their direction, and with a quick glance over her shoulder, she was somewhat reassured that it was only Atom, and while he was heading in their direction, his attention was elsewhere. 

Oh well, better than nothing, she sighed to herself before lengthening her stride to catch up with Blake.

At the sound of her arrival, he shot her a cool glance, before turning away and ignoring her completely, his pace never slowing. 

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Atom’s attention was focused elsewhere, giving them some sort of privacy, she took a deep breath.

Come on Alex, now or never.

“Look, I’m sorry alright,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Blake paused, before turning slowly and giving her an indescribable look. “What for?” he asked, voice gruff.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she shifted in her boots, uncomfortable under his stare. Apologies definitely weren’t her thing.

“About what I said the other day, after Murphy...well, you know.” Alex winced, trailing off, her gaze falling away to look elsewhere as she explained. “He- well, I was really angry. And upset. But it wasn’t at you.”

Taking a breath, she played with the inside of her sleeves, finger’s running tirelessly over the seams. “What I mean is that I’m - I didn’t mean to snap at you. You...helped me.” She shrugged, feeling self conscious. “And you didn’t deserve me biting off your head like that. So... I’m sorry.”

As a breeze rustled through the branches above them, she began to feel tension grow between them. Pressing her lips together, she hunched her shoulders as she began to feel uncomfortable, her face slowly warming in a blush of embarrassment, feeling stupid for having gone out of her way to apologize to him. See, this is why I don’t do apologies. Nobody actually cares.

“Right,” he stated dryly, cocking his head to the side, eyes narrowed as he eyed her dubiously. “You're apologizing,” he stated, before snorting in amusement and giving her a wry look. “So, what exactly did you want?”

Head snapping back up to face him, she gave him a perplexed look at the suddenly random question. “What - want?” She echoed back, feeling thrown off by the abrupt change in subject.

His expression changed to something mocking, almost hostile. When he took a few aggressive steps towards her, getting in her space, she was forced to take a startled step back, wary of his sudden animosity. When her back touched rough bark, her shoulders came up, tension flowing through her, feeling cornered. She found herself raising her knife between them, her grip whiteknuckled, the tip grazing the thin material of his shirt, trying desperately to ignore the terrible feeling of déjà vu.

He pointedly glanced down at the knife before his brown eyes once again met her own. “Yes. Want. I don’t believe you of all people apologizes without wanting something in return,” he clarified mockingly, eyes dark, his chest almost touching her own. “So what is it? A deal, a favour?”

“I don’t want anything, ” she said, voice raising an octave, her stomach seeming to tie itself into knots, feeling upset that that’s what he thought of her. 

“See, I don’t believe you,” he breathed, leaning down, his face only inches from her own, seeming unbothered by their closeness. She could feel the air from his breath on her cheeks and the warmth of his chest through her own shirt. “You’re apologizing for a reason, I want to know why.”

Anger and embarrassment flared through her, and she could feel her cheeks heat up in response, but she refused to look away, clenching her jaw tightly instead. Somehow the accusation hurt. Which was stupid, because his opinion didn’t matter to her anyway.

Turning the blade away from him, she planted her hands on his chest, shoving him away forcefully. “Or maybe I’m just genuinely trying to apologize?” She exhaled sharply, suddenly feeling exhausted. “But you know what?” She shrugged, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter. You clearly don’t care, so forget I said anything at all.” She told him, turning away, intending to head back to the drop ship.

She hadn’t made it more than a few steps before she heard a heavy sigh at her back.

“Evans. Wait,” Blake said, his voice somewhat softer than before.

Pausing, she bit the inside of her cheek, considering just childishly walking away, but something told her not to. Rolling her eyes, annoyed with herself for even stopping for him, she turned back to face him, meeting his gaze with a cool expression of her own. 

She wondered if it was just her imagination, or if his expression seemed softer than before, the harshness around his eyes faded slightly.

Must just be the light.

“What?” She gritted her teeth.

Running a hand through his hair, he glanced around them before eyeing her, his face taking on a look of contemplation. 

“Look, the group needs food.” She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the statement. He seemed to change the subject on a whim. “So having people out here with the right skills is beneficial to the entire group.”

“Skills?” She asked before answering her own question, ”You mean, you want me out here because I’ve killed…” She swallowed, briefly unable to meet his eyes. “things.” She finished, eyeing him, then blinked. “You said before you didn’t want me out here because I couldn’t hunt.” She stated bluntly.

He didn’t even blink at her statement, meeting her gaze evenly. “Right. Well, I changed my mind.” He rolled his shoulders. “The sooner we get food, the better. For everyone.” As much as she didn’t like it, she couldn’t deny that he had a point. 

The same point as I used to come out here in the first place. She nearly snorted.

“Beside’s, Jemma and Charlotte are going to need food sooner or later,” he stated with a shrug, looking mildly smug, knowing his comment would get her attention.

Hook, line and sinker, right?

Closing her eyes briefly, she exhaled quickly. “Fine,” she said after a moment, stepping forward and marching past him without a glance, heading in the direction they had both originally been going. She heard him fall into step behind her, both of them falling into a tense silence as they walked.

When a low whistle cut through the air, both of their heads shot up in the direction it had come from. One of the other guys in the group was peering over some bushes at them, and he motioned for them to be quiet before beckoning them forwards with a rapid hand movement, pointing to the side.

Blake was the first to react, ducking passed her, his body crouched low, making his way towards the other guy. With a small sigh, Alex followed suit. When she came up to the bush she peered around it looking for whatever the guy was looking at, her eyebrows raising in surprise at what she saw.

A strange looking four-legged animal was busy munching away on grass in a small clearing ahead of them. It was quite bulky, she realized with amusement, it’s weird round body supported by four short stocky legs. When it raised its head to peer around itself, she realized it had a flat looking snout.

A pig, maybe? She thought, trying to remember the pictures she had seen in her study books.

One thing was for sure, if they managed to get it, the group would be well fed for awhile.

Blake motioned for them to stay where they were, before cautiously moving forward, his body tense and low to the ground. His expression was fierce and focused.

Watching him stealthily move through the underbrush with little to no sound, Alex found herself unwillingly impressed. He clearly had good instinct.

Meant to be a hunter.

He was nearly within throwing range when a branch snapped off to their right. The sound was so close to them, that Alex’s heart leapt into her throat, the hairs on the nape of her neck standing on end.

Launching herself to her feet, she turned to see what had made the noise, raising her knife up in front of herself defensively at the same time that Blake did the same. Except he launched his axe at it, the metal gleaming as it flew through the air.

From the dull ‘thud’, she knew it had hit something.

Or someone.

When her gaze found the source of the noise, landing on a familiar blonde head, her jaw dropped in shock, and she felt all the blood drain from her face. 

Charlotte was half ducked behind a tree, eyes wide as she stared up at the axe embedded in the trunk above her.

Only a foot from her head.

Horror and disbelief slowly turned into a whirlwind of anger and Alex slowly turned to face the equally stunned Blake, whose own eyes were wide as he stared at Charlotte in shock. He seemed to feel her burning gaze, because he reluctantly turned to face her, meeting her eyes warily.

“What. The. Fuck. Blake!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! :)


	14. Chapter 14

“Charlotte!” Alex exclaimed.

Almost at the same time, Bellamy demanded, “Who the hell are you?” 

Alex was torn somewhere between worry and anger as she hurried towards the younger girl, reaching out and grasping her shoulders, patting her down in search for any sign of injury. 

Charlotte was completely frozen on the spot, her eyes wide as she stared at the axe imbedded only inches from her head.

Once she was sure that Charlotte was alright, her worry swirled into full fledged anger and she whirled around, a snarl on her lips. Stepping in front of Charlotte, she put herself between the young girl and the potential danger.

How could he be so fucking stupid?

“Seriously?” she snapped at Bellamy, glare locked on his face. He was staring at Charlotte in shock, matching the young girl expression from where she stood by the tree, his hand still extended from when he’d let the axe fly, looking torn. She didn’t know if he looked angry, regretful or concerned. When his eyes met her own, his expression flashed fleetingly sheepish before shifting back into the uncaring look he always seemed to wear.

Slowly he lowered his hand, shifting slightly on his feet and straightening his shoulders. Footsteps pounded on the ground behind them as Atom arrived on the scene, looking concerned at the sight of Charlotte in the area. Alex ignored him.

“Seriously?” she repeated, motioning angrily towards Charlotte. “Who the fuck throws an axe without looking? Isn’t it the first thing they teach you at the Academy - to aim?” She spat, “And you.” She whirled around to face Charlotte, who instantly looked unhappy at being the one to face the brunt of her anger, but whose expression was entirely too unrepentant. Didn’t she understand anything she’d told her earlier? Didn’t she know how dangerous it was out here?. “You shouldn’t even be here. I told you now wasn’t a good time.”

Charlotte gaze snapped up to her own, and she shifted on her feet, glancing at Bellamy before returning her eyes to her own. Instead of looking chastised by Alex’s comments, she met her glare with a determined one of her own. For a second, Alex felt like she was dealing with an adult, instead of a thirteen year old girl, except for the fact that she was at least a head shorter than everyone else. She shouldn’t be like this, Alex thought mournfully.

“I want to stay,” Charlotte told her simply, expression unchanging, “I want to learn.”

Alex wanted to pull her hair in frustration. Instead, she angrily pushed the strands that had fallen out of her braid away from her face. “Charlotte, we can’t hunt and look out for you at the same time! I mean, look what nearly happened.” She waved a hand towards the axe, where it was still embedded in the tree. “You nearly died. And not due to Grounders, or animals, or anything like that, but from one of our own!” She shot Blake a glare which he returned with an unamused one of his own.

“But if not now, then when?” Charlotte demanded, frowning around at them. “I can be just as capable with a knife as anyone here, I just need someone to show me how to do it! I can learn to hunt, learn how to defend myself.”

Exasperated disbelief filled her, “Well, you definitely aren’t going to learn anything if you’re running blindly through the woods, hoping to run into somebody you know. Use your head, Charlotte. It’s dangerous out here.” She frowned down at her and Charlotte momentarily refused to meet her eyes, “You-” Alex began.

“So, you want to learn how to hunt?” Bellamy’s voice interrupted her, sounding almost smug as he stepped forward. Biting the inside of her cheek in irritation, she turned to look at him, wondering what the hell he was talking about, but he ignored her entirely, instead stepping forwards and leaning down to rest his hands on his knees, bringing him eye to eye with Charlotte. “I can teach you, if you want.” He told her, but his eyes travelled up to Alex as he talked, letting her know quite simply that he was doing this to spite her. “Evans here probably won’t teach you because she simply can’t hunt.” He winked at Charlotte.

Alex bristled at the comment. “Excuse me?” She demanded, stepping up to him. He stood, taking a place next to Charlotte, looking down his nose at her. “I don’t think you should be teaching her anything. Least of all about weapons and defending herself. You just nearly killed her by mistake, and if your aim weren’t so fucking terrible, you would have.”

Bellamy had to decency to grimace before steeling his expression again. “Why shouldn’t she be able to learn?” He demanded, placing a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “The sooner she learns to fend for herself, the better, don’t you think?” he asked Charlotte, who nodded firmly in response. 

Clenching her jaw, Alex tried to ignore the feeling that he was trying to rub it in her face that Charlotte was standing with him, instead of her. This isn’t a competition, she told herself.

Maybe he’s right, her mind told her. Is there ever going to be a good time for her to learn? Maybe the problem isn’t about her learning. Maybe you just don’t want to teach her…

“There is plenty she can learn about the area. Think on it, Evans - she’s already at a disadvantage. You probably never made it to your Earth Skills classes, did you?” he addressed Charlotte, who shook her head in response. “She can at least learn the things we did, isn’t that right?” he added, brown eyes meeting her grey.

Despite his sudden agreeableness, Alex had to push down the stubborn need to say ‘no’. Bellamy being right was something that she could live without at the moment. Besides, what reason did she have to say no? Charlotte did have to learn at some point, and Bellamy was right, she was already at a disadvantage here on Earth. She’d never learned any of the basic survival skills that the rest of them had been taught during school. And while none of them had ever experienced Earth’s true environment before, they were at least partially aware of the dangers and what they needed to do to survive. 

Chewing on the inside of her cheek in annoyance, Alex glanced down at Charlotte, and was immediately sucked into the girl's pleading stare. Feeling her heart sink, she knew that she’d been won over.

A long sigh escaped her. Rolling her eyes up at the sky, she finally gave her answer. “Fine. But,” she continued before Charlotte could release the cheer that looked like it was about to escape her. “You stay with one of us at all times. Don’t wander off and stay quiet. If we tell you to run and hide - you do so, no questions asked. Got it?” Bellamy looked pleased and victorious and she had to grit her teeth to not snap at him. “But, no knives.” When Charlotte looked ready to argue, Alex shot her a look and the young girl shut her mouth in a hurry. “No knives. No weapons - not yet.”

“Relax, Evans,” Bellamy said, his soothing tone mocking her. “What harm would she be able to do with a small knife?”

So much, without even meaning to. Giving him a serious stare, she said, “You have no idea.”

Bellamy seemed to read between the lines because for a second he frowned, his eyes studying her face. She was surprised when he gave a reluctant nod instead of further pushing the issue.

“Fine, no knife.” Bellamy agreed, and Alex had to ignore the flash of disappointment that crossed Charlotte’s face. “If she stays with us, we can both look out for her?” Bellamy offered, watching her expression cautiously.

Alex finally gave a slow nod of agreement before looking at Charlotte, who looked like she was trying to hold back the pleased expression that was threatening to overwhelm her.

“Fine,” Alex sighed. “Remember, stay close to us,” she told her sternly.

Charlotte just nodded enthusiastically in response.

~>~>~>~>~>>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~~>>~~>~>~>~>~~

For the next couple of hours, Alex silently trailed after Bellamy and Charlotte, Atom having wandered off to do his own thing. She watched with growing interest and slight confusion as he easily interacted with the younger girl, crouching down in front of different plants, and pointing out the different animal trails that they came across, always making sure that she was following his explanations; Charlotte seeming to absorb all the information like a sponge. 

The longer the two of them chatted, the more at ease Bellamy seemed to appear. And after a while she was sure that they didn’t even remember that she was here, they were so enthralled in their own little world.

She didn’t know why she was so surprised that he was so good with the younger kids. After all, he’d probably spent his entire life taking care of Octavia, keeping her safe and hidden from the rest of the Ark. It was just such a stark contrast to how he dealt with the rest of the delinquents, keeping everyone at arm’s length, giving everyone the same aggressive attitude, that she found the warm smiles and casual posture hard to believe.

She was also reluctantly impressed by his knowledge. He was clearly someone else who, like Finn and Wells, had done extremely well during Earth Skills and Herbology. He knew most of the plants that were edible, which were poisonous, and he also had the general idea of what trails belonged to which animal, easily pointing out which were the best to pursue

Trudging along behind them, she grumbled to herself feeling slightly jealous of his knowledge. Should have paid better attention during class. Although she did have to admit that listening to him, she was learning just as much as Charlotte was. He’s a good teacher, she reluctantly admitted. While she knew plenty about plants, hunting and tracking would never be something that she would be able to teach.

Wait, how old is he? He hadn’t been to school while she was there, so he had to be at least a few years older than even the oldest of the delinquents. The guard uniform should have been a giveaway. He’d either been training to be a guard, or he’d stolen the uniform to get on the dropship planning to be with Octavia. If she’d had to guess she would have said he’d stolen it, but by his arrogance and ‘follow me or else’ attitude, maybe she was wrong, maybe he’d been part of the guard. He would certainly fit in well with the rest of those assholes.

Quickly growing bored and beginning to feel like a tag-along, she almost cheered when he suddenly screwed up, telling Charlotte that the berry in front of them was edible, when it most definitely was not. She found herself filling with smug satisfaction - now she knew he wasn’t always right.

Stepping forwards, she came to stand behind them and pointedly cleared her throat. Both of them glanced up, looking slightly startled. She was right, she nearly huffed in annoyance, they’d forgotten about her entirely. 

“Wrong,” she stated simply.

Bellamy sighed. “What is?”

A grin tugged at her lips at his almost exasperated expression. “You are.” Leaning forward, she brushed past him, grabbing one of the red berries and plucking it off the plant, rolling it between her fingers. “This is a baneberry. Which is most definitely not edible.” Kneeling down, Alex handed the berry to Charlotte, who studied the berry.

“How can you tell?” Charlotte asked curiously.

“Well, see the leaves?” Alex pointed. “Baneberry always has leaves in groups of three. The berries aren’t always red either - they change from white to red in early summer. One thing I always remember is: ‘berries white, poisonous sight. Berries red, have no dread!’ Another good one is ‘leaflets three, let them be.’ If the berries are blue, then they are most likely edible.” 

She felt proud when Charlotte looked impressed.

“Who taught you that?” the younger blonde asked.

The smile that had graced her lips slipped away as she thought back to happier memories. “Someone who I looked up to like a father.” She finally said, thinking of the times when Marcus didn’t hate her, a time when she’d been part of his family and he’d enjoyed spent time with her and helping her study. But that’s never going to happen again, so there’s no point dwelling on it, she thought bitterly to herself, trying and failing at ignoring the pang of sadness that shot through her.

“Who-” Charlotte began to ask, but Bellamy was quick to interrupted her.

“Charlotte, look there,” he said pointing out to one side, away from them. “I think I see some rabbit trails we could follow,” he said and Alex shot him a perplexed but grateful look which he returned with an indescribable one of his own.

After a pause, Charlotte leapt up, looking eager at the opportunity to follow another trail. Alex would have thought she had forgotten all about the touchy topic that she had stumbled upon if it weren’t for the lingering sharp gaze she shot both of them before turning away. Alex’s eyes trailed after her as she knelt, lost in her thoughts.

After a moment she became aware of Bellamy studying her, not having moved to follow Charlotte after she’d gotten to her feet. Glancing at him, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, his expression carefully blank.

Why would he stop Charlotte from asking more? It’s not like he cares if the subject bothers me or not.

Unable to stand his gaze in her periphery any longer, she fully turned around face him, keeping her expression flat. “What?” She asked him pointedly, hoping that he wouldn’t continue what Charlotte had started.

His eyes bore into hers as if he were reading her thoughts. But for whatever reason, after a moment he shifted his gaze, lips quirking with amusement. Purposefully, he touched the plant in front of him, then looked back at her. 

“Can’t stand the thought that I know more than you, can you, Evans?”

The knot that had been building in her chest dissipated as relief momentarily flowed through her. She didn’t know whether to feel relieved that he hadn’t decided to pursue the opening that Charlotte had unknowingly creating, or annoyed at his taunting. 

Maybe he hadn’t noticed her hesitation, maybe his interruption had just been well timed. But from the way he had eyed her, his gaze almost calculating, she sincerely doubted it. 

The past was not something she enjoyed thinking about often, let alone something she wanted to talk about or face. She wasn’t about to open up to either of them, simply because they were having a surprisingly good time, something she wasn’t about to admit.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she pursed her lips to one side. “You don’t actually know everything, Blake. You do realize that, right?” she asked him dryly.

He laughed, shrugging his shoulders then cocking his head to one side, eyes still watching her. “So, why did you really want to come out hunting? Are you one of those girls who goes out of her way for an adventure, some exhilaration?” 

She quirked an amused eyebrow, ignoring the connotation in his words. “Do you think I’m a girl who goes looking for adventure?”

He leaned back on his heels, studying her, his brown eyes locked on her face. She had to force her eyes not to slide down to where his jacket had parted up the front of his chest, revealing his standard blue guards shirt, and how it hugged his very flat stomach. 

He’s doing that on purpose, she hummed to herself, keeping her eyes on his, not falling for the bait.

“You certainly seem to go running into danger all the time,” he continued, “between throwing yourself into spear filled holes and picking fights with Murphy, I would say you crave it.”

At the mention of Murphy, she threw him an unimpressed look, dropping the berries and wiping off her hands. “I didn’t throw myself into that hole,” she informed him. “And I definitely don’t go picking fights with Murphy,” she gave a sneer of disgust, “believe me, if I had the chance to stay away from him permanently, I would. That guy is ten kinds of nasty. Honestly, I don’t see why you give him the rein that you do.” 

A carefully calculating look crossed his face. “He has his uses.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, giving him an unimpressed stare and raised her still bandaged wrist. “Yeah, I remember.” she replied flatly. “Maybe you should tighten that leash before someone actually gets hurt,” she suggested darkly. “Before he gets hurt.”

“I bet you’re not one to back down from that challenge, are you?” Bellamy asked her, and Alex frowned at him, teeth grinding.

While his words might have meant to be teasing, she couldn’t stop the flare of annoyance that flashed through her. Did he think she wanted to keep having confrontations with Murphy and the others? That she liked it? It’s not like she actively went out of her way to come face to face with them, circumstances just dictated that it happened that way.

“What?” She glowered. “You think that I enjoy having to deal with him?” she scoffed, “the guy is a pain in the ass. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to bow down to him and let him trample all over everyone else.”

“Maybe you should, it would probably be the smart thing to do.” He snapped back. “But then again, that’s all you seem to be good for - getting in the way.”

She barked laugh, the sound dark and bitter. “You’re one to talk,” she spat, pushing herself to her feet to glare down at him. “Other than hunting and tracking, you’ve done nothing but stir up trouble.

“Unlike some, I’ve actually been trying to help the group. I don’t see you trying to organize anything for the group. All you’ve done is run away at the first sign of trouble.” He replied, forcing himself to his feet and glowering down at her.

“Wait a minute, did you just say help? That you’ve helped the group?” She shook her head in disbelief, “the only thing you’ve helped do is slowly cut off any communications we have with the Ark. Which, by the way, isn’t going to help us at all! We’re going to need them at some point. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday we’re going to need supplied that only the Ark can send us.”

Bellamy’s expression turned stormy. “We don’t need them. They’ve never helped before, I certainly don’t expect them to start now.” He snapped back at her.

“That doesn’t even make any sense!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “What about any type of medicine? Or technology? Do you think we’re magically going to just come up with replacements for the things we need?”

Bellamy pauses, eyeing her before a mocking smile slowly crossed his face, and he briefly closed his eyes and shook his head. “Oh, right, I forgot. You aren’t like the rest of us.”

“What?” She frowned feeling insulted, wondering what the hell he meant. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“See, Evans.” He began, his tone thoroughly condescending. “In case you’re forgetting - most of us had to work for a living. We didn’t get to live the high life.” He shook his head. “You’re just like Clarke and Jaha - never had to work a day in your life. No, you probably lived happily off whatever scraps Councilman Kane and Lieutenant Miller threw your way when you cozied up to them. Maybe that’s why you were friends with their sons, hmm? I bet that was a pretty sweet deal.”

Outrage flowed through her at being compared to some type of dog begging for scraps. Teeth gritted, for a moment she couldn’t bring herself to answer him at all, anger closing her throat and choking her words. What does he know? He knows nothing - absolutely nothing about me!

She’d been friends with Nathan and Liam for as long as she could remember. There wasn’t a point in her childhood where they hadn’t been by her side. I didn’t become friends with them for scraps. 

After the tension filled silence stretched almost too long, she cleared her throat.

“Uh, well, in case you’re forgetting,” she told him, her gaze steely, spitting his own words back at him, “you’re talking to the person who just spent the last two years locked up, and as pleasant as that was, I wouldn’t call it the high life. Liam and Nathan were my best friends for longer than your sister’s even been alive. And considering that she’s the only one who puts up with you, I don’t think you’re brain can even comprehend what that means.” She told him, voice as cold as ice. “And in case you’re also forgetting - Marcus Kane,” she spat out the name like it burned her tongue, “chucked me in the Skybox and threw away the key.”

“And whose fault is that?” Bellamy jeered pointedly in response.

Glaring up at him, her fists clenched, ignoring the lump in her chest. It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it - just like everyone else. Refusing to say another word, she turned away, heading in the direction she’d seen Charlotte wander earlier. After a pause, she heard Bellamy’s footsteps follow suit and they descended into an uncomfortable silence. This time she felt like one of those buffoons from earlier as she stomped through the forest angrily, slapping branched and bushes out of the way angrily. Stupid, arrogant jerk. He doesn’t know anything about me, she snarled.

As she moved down the animal trail, Alex slowly realized that Charlotte had moved quite a bit farther than she’d originally thought, and was nowhere in sight of where they’d stopped. What did I say about sticking close by? Alex thought angrily, but she couldn’t ignore the sliver of worry that shot through her. Picking up her pace, she wove between the trees, eyes darting one way and the other, looking for the familiar sandy hair. You’re supposed to keep an eye on her. Alex mentally berated herself. 

“Charlotte?” She called out tentatively, ears straining for any sign of her, eyes darting from one space between trees to another. She couldn’t see her anywhere. Why wasn’t she in the area?

When she heard a familiar gasp, Alex immediately broke into a run, heading towards the sound. Was she in trouble?! Maybe there are Grounders in the area, or another dangerous animal? Maybe it’s something we’ve never seen before. Too many thoughts tumbled in her mind, distracting her causing her to stumble over the uneven ground. Focus! You’re not going to be able to help her if you’re falling over your own feet. She pushed the distracting thoughts away, instead focusing on placing one foot in front of the other, sharp eyes looking for any signs of danger. “Charlotte?” She called out again, this time more urgently.

“I’m over here!” Charlotte immediately answered and at the sound of her voice, Alex felt the tension in her shoulders ease slightly as she released a small sigh. While the worry hadn’t disappeared entirely, she felt comforted by the fact that Charlotte didn’t sound either stressed or worried. Glancing back to meet Bellamy’s eyes, they briefly shared a look of relief, their argument momentarily forgotten. Clearly, he’d been just as worried about Charlotte’s disappearance as she had. 

Ducking through some bushes and dodging a few trees, they came to a slight embankment, and Alex realized that she hadn’t been able to see Charlotte because the girl wasn’t level with them anymore, instead standing at the base of the embankment, her back facing them, gazing out at something in front of her. Alex tried to peer out at what she was looking at, but the bright midday sun made it difficult to see into the area before them. 

What is she...Alex began to wonder as she slid down the embankment and came to stand beside her. But the thought died in her head as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. 

An amazed smile crossed her face, her eyebrows raising in pleasant surprise. “Whoa…”

Charlotte had found a meadow.

Charlotte had stumbled across a break in the trees, the area wide and open. A meadow, she thought to herself, staring at the beautiful scene before them.

But what truly took her breath away were the flowers.

Pink, purple, and white patches of wildflowers were scattered throughout the area, seeming the float above the brilliant green grass below them. They all swayed softly in sync, like an invisible hand had swept through the meadow, the flowers dancing in its wake.

Beside her, Bellamy hummed in appreciation, and she glanced up at him to find an almost delighted expression on his face. He turned and gave Charlotte a warm smile, one that seemed the change the shape of his face, making him look more open...more sincere. Alex was startled to realize how closed off he was normally around everyone, keeping everyone at arm's length.

When the breeze brushed lightly across her face, the pale strands that framed her face danced across her nose and cheeks until she brushed it behind her ears as she turned back to the meadow, an almost content feeling sweeping through her. Inhaling the sweet smelling air, she once again marvelled at the fact that they were down on earth and all the arguments, all the problems seemed to melt away...if only for awhile.

Things might not be perfect...but they’re definitely close enough. She thought with a smile and stepped out of the shade of the trees and into the warm daylight sun.

~>~>~>>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>~>

Alex wasn’t ashamed to admit that they must have spent an entire hour out in the open field, examining all the flowers and basking in the warm sun. She actually felt more relaxed than she had in long while, feeling a high from the fun her and Charlotte had rolling down the grassy hill. Of course, Bellamy had been too ‘manly’ to participate, but that hadn’t stopped him shaking his head in amusement every time they rolled past him, squealing and laughing as they went.

When they’d finally tired out, Alex and Charlotte lay flat on their backs on a nice soft patch of grass, enjoying the sun. Well, Charlotte was enjoying the sun. Alex was busy picking flowers with long stems

“Ta-da!” Alex said finally with a smile, presenting Charlotte with the finished product: a multicoloured crown of woven flowers.

Charlotte sat up with a smile, “Awesome!” she said, reaching out to touch it. Before she could grab it, Alex pulled it back with a shake of her head.

“Nope. We need to do this properly.” Alex said, and knelt in front of her, motioning for Charlotte to sit up and holding it above the young girls sandy hair. She cleared her throat, and deepened her voice, “And now, may we present Queen Charlotte, the first of Her Name, True Queen of the Beautiful Wild Flowers!” She announced regally before lowering the crown on her head, Charlotte holding still for only a moment before she was overcome with giggles.

“My Queen,” Alex bowed dramatically. “What shall be your first order of business?”

Charlotte giggled again, before steeling her expression and tapping her chin thoughtfully, playing along. When her eyes settled on Bellamy, who was watching them from his perch on a nearby rock, they lit up. “My humble servant, I order you to tickle Sir Bellamy.” She said pointing at him regally, chin lifted high.

Alex couldn’t stop the cackle that escaped her as her head snapped up to look at Charlotte, before a devious smile crossed her face and she slowly turned to Bellamy, “Oh? Tickle him you say?” She asked in obvious glee.

Bellamy tried to give her an unamused expression as she stood up, but from constant tug at his lips she knew that he was trying not to smile. As she stepped towards him, he gave her a warning glare. “Evans. Don’t.”

She felt positively evil as she stepped towards him, and he shifted in his seat. For a split second she wondered what she was doing? Hadn’t they just been spitting angry words at each other and glaring up a storm? And here she was threatening to tickle Bellamy Blake of all people. She quickly decided that with how obvious he was being about trying to hide his displeasure at the thought of being tickles was worth it.

Her smile grew. “Don’t what?” She asked innocently, taking another slow step, holding her hands out before her like a predator about to pounce on prey. Normally she wouldn’t go along with “Is big, bad Bellamy Blake hilariously ticklish?”

“No,” he answered immediately, his reply all too quick to be honest. When she took another step towards him, less than a meter between them, he shifted, half raising out of his seat, raising a finger towards her. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Or what?” She challenged, crouching down low. 

He took a breath to reply. 

She didn’t give him time to answer.

Launching herself forward with a laugh, her hands instinctively aimed for his sides. As her fingers grazed his ribs, she was expecting the laugh that would escape him. Hearing Blake genuinely laugh? What she didn’t expect was for his hands to latch tightly around her wrists as he launched himself backwards off the rock, pulling her over with him. She was faintly embarrassed at the surprised squeak that left her as she tripped over the rock, her landing somewhat padded by the fact that she landed on Bellamy’s chest.

For a moment she lay there, stunned at the abrupt change of events, partially winded, her wrists still grasped tightly by Bellamy. Glancing up, she met his amused eyes.

When he took a deep breath, she felt it move through his chest, and a sly smirk crossed his face. “Or...that,” he said simply, reclining back onto the grass and closing his eyes, basking his face in the sun. He wasn’t holding her wrists tightly, but she didn’t believe for one second that she could get him to release her without a fight. His firm hold told her that he simply just had no intention of letting her go.

She sighed. “Let me go, Blake.”

“Nope,” he said, not even bothering to open an eye.

She narrowed her eyes down at him. If he was trying to make her nervous or uncomfortable, it wasn’t going to work.

Indeed, two can play that game.

Shifting her position, she threw her leg over him, sitting up as she did so, until she was straddling his waist. When he stiffened slightly beneath her and his eyes snapped open to look at her in surprise, she simply cocked her head to the side, giving him a gave him a smug look, pleased at his reaction.

A sly smirk of her own crossed her face, and she leaned forward, Bellamy’s eyes darting across her face as she did so.

“Let me go, Blake.” She said softly, her face hovering just above his own.

She was unprepared when he leaned up towards her, his hands tightening on her wrists, keeping her still. When his face stopped just inches from her own, she swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. His chest was warm, nearly pressed up against his own, and if it weren’t for their hands between them, they would be flush against each other.

“Make me,” he said lowly, he breath ghosting against her face. She had to suppress a shiver at the feeling and from the slight rumble in his chest as he laughed, she knew he’d felt it.

A long, drawn out sound pierced the air, and they both froze, staring at each other in shock, clearly wondering what the hell it was.

What the fuck is that?

As the sound faded, Alex became more aware of the slightly compromising position she found herself in, nearly chest to chest with Bellamy, her thighs on either side of his waist. Then she realized that Charlotte was nearby, only the rock separating her from them. 

Why the fuck are you sitting in Bellamy Blake’s lap? She asked herself in disbelief.

An embarrassed flush washed through her, and she quickly scrambled off of Bellamy, who released her wrists. Turning away, she tried to calm the flaming heat which seemed to permeate her face, unwilling to make eye contact with either of her companions.

But when the hollow sound pierced the air the second time, her head snapped in the direction it came from, her embarrassment falling away as worry took its place.

What is that? She couldn’t place the sound at all. It echoed long and loud in the area around them, even though she was pretty sure it wasn’t coming from anywhere close by. 

After a second she heard Bellamy get to his feet, his movement slow and cautious as he rose, head cocked to the side as he listened. Charlotte sat not too far, the flower crown fluttering nervously at her fingertips. All their eyes focused in the same direction.

As the second deep sound faded everything suddenly became ominously quiet and still. There was no breeze, no creaking trees, no twitter from distant birds.

Nothing.

A wary feeling settled into the pit of her stomach.

Something’s coming. Something's about to happen. 

Movement at the far side of the meadow caught her eye and she watched with cautious fascination as trails of yellow mist eerily seeped into the meadow, sliding slowly from between the bushes and tree. It moved silently, ghosting into the meadow, nothing shifting in its presence, the flowers it touched remained unmoved. 

As it flowed into the meadow’s open air, the sulphuric fog appeared to thicken, growing denser with each passing moment.

“What is that?” Bellamy asked, his tone wary from where he’d come to stand beside her. She could feel the tension radiating off of him.

She shook her head slowly in response, “I...don’t know.”

All three of them were frozen, seeming almost mesmerized by the fog’s steady approach.

Danger! Her mind screamed at her as she felt the hair’s on her neck stand on end. Something’s wrong, very wrong! We need to get out of here! The sound of the horn? Then this? We need to go - now!

Taking a step back, her eyes never leaving the cloud in front of them, she opened her mouth to voice her opinion, to give some sort of warning, but before she could get the words past her teeth, a shrill, pain filled scream filled the air and the words lodged themselves in her throat.

All three of their heads snapped to one direction, from where the screaming was coming from.

Unadulterated horror washed through her at the blood-curdling sound. Oh God, who is that? please don’t let it be one of ours, please, please don’t let it be one of ours!

Then she realized that it was coming from somewhere inside the fog.

Stumbling back, her legs moved before she was aware of doing so. Turning, she latched on the Charlotte’s and Bellamy’s wrist yanking them around and heading in the opposite direction the deadly fog was coming from, hoping against hope that they weren’t heading into it.

“Run!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! :)


	15. Chapter 15

Her feet flew over the soft forest floor ground, each step propelling her forward with an desperation to get away. With every ragged gasp for breath came the bitter tang of panic in the air.

Run!

The loud warning blare from the horn only seemed to echo her fear.

After she’d shouted at Charlotte and Bellamy, Alex had latched onto the young girl’s arm, dragging her into the forest, heading back in the direction they’d come from. Deep inside, she already knew that there was no possible way that they would be able to outrun the fog and get back to the dropship in time. It was moving too fast and they were running too slow. They’d watched it progress for too long.

So what if you get back to the Dropship? There’s no way you’ll be able to get everyone inside before the fog arrives! A sudden terrifying thought occurred to her, what if it had already hit the rest? You heard those screams - had they come from camp? Or someone from the hunting group? She thought, desperately trying to figure out their location in relation to the rest of the group. Where had everyone gone - she hadn’t been paying attention.

All thoughts vanished from her head when Charlotte’s hand was torn from her own. Heart jumping into her throat, Alex stumbled as she skidded to a stop, her feet trying to find a foothold on the root covered ground.

Whirling around, she barely had time to register that Charlotte had fallen - her foot caught on a root - when Bellamy reached down mid-stride and hoisted the young girl up by her armpits, once again setting her on her feet. He didn’t let her go, instead keeping a firm grip on her arm, dragging her along behind him. Charlotte’s eyes wide and terrified as she struggled to keep up.

Movement behind them caught her attention and she could only watch in horror and disbelief as the yellow wall of fog slithered through the trees, it’s tendrils reaching and grasping as they silently made their way towards them.

Alex hadn’t realized that she’d just been standing and staring, when a hand grasped her upper arm and yanked her around.

“Move, Evans! Move!” Bellamy snapped at her, propelling her forwards in front of him. For a second, her feet struggled on the uneven terrain before she caught herself on a tree and regained her balance. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Bellamy had Charlotte, she turned and dashed through the trees.

Since she was in the lead, Alex tried to guide them in the direction she knew the Dropship to be. But as they passed tree after tree, she rapidly lost track of where they were, the area around them beginning to blur into one. Heartbeat pounding in her chest, her eyes darted left and right as she ran, looking for any sign of familiar landmarks.

Useless, useless, useless. She berated herself, sidestepping a bush before ducking under a fallen tree. How are you going to get us back if you don’t know where you’re going?!

“Steer left Evans.” Bellamy suddenly panted at her back. Without question she did as he said, knowing that he must have had some place in mind.

It’s definitely not the drop ship, she thought, noting the change in the slope, at how they were now moving along the slope instead of heading up at an angle. Don’t know what he has in mind, but it better be close. Her lungs and her legs were beginning to burn something fierce, and she knew that she would never have been able to make it back to the dropship. It was too far away. They were too far away.

When a figure suddenly burst through the trees in front of her and slammed into her side, Alex let out a strangled scream as the force slammed her into the ground, scraping her the exposed skin of her arms on the rough terrain. Winded, Alex struggled to regain her breath, the world spinning around her for a few seconds. The attack apparently hadn’t been intentional, she duly realized, as whoever had hit her lay moaning on the ground beside her. 

Coughing, Alex forced herself back on her feet, ignoring the sting of open wounds, staring down at an extremely shocked Atom, his eyes wide as he stared back up at her.

As he opened his mouth to ask what she assumed was going on, Alex was already shaking her head at him, reaching down and bodily hauling him to his feet. Glancing over her shoulder, she barely caught sight of the deadly fog before shoving him along.

“What-” he began, not even glancing in the direction of the fog, and she knew that he had no idea what was really happening.

“Poisonous fog...no time. Run!!” She snapped at him, laboured breathing, from the running and the collision, barely allowed her to talk. 

Alex’s eyes met Bellamy’s glare that bordered between irritation and worry. He was ahead of her, with Charlotte by his side. The two had slowed their pace to a jog because of her. She felt anger and panic rise inside her - it wasn’t her fault Atom collider with her. “Come on!” she called over her shoulder at Atom, taking off after the other two. She had to catch up.

When the two in front of her disappear around the corner of a rocky bank, Alex felt irrational panic surge through her. What if she rounded the bend and couldn’t see them anymore? What would she do if she got separated from them?!

No no no no no! Come back! She mentally screamed at them, picking up her pace, her lungs already working past their limits, not giving her enough breath to call out.

Rounding the corner, she was instantly relieved when she caught sight of Bellamy’s dark jacket, Charlotte standing next to him, both facing the rocky cliff face, Bellamy urgently nudging the younger girl towards its front.

This is his plan?? What is that idiot thinking? We’re never going to be able to outrun the fog by climbing up!

Coming up behind them, she quickly realized that that’s not what he was doing at all.

He wasn’t encouraging Charlotte to climb up, he was motioning her towards a gap in the rocks.

Skidding to a stop, Alex froze, all the blood draining from her face as she watched Charlotte duck through a tiny gap between two large rocks. 

Too small. Too dark. 

Even as she watched, the chilling blackness seemed to swallow up the young girl as she ducked into it. Then she was gone, engulfed in the shadows.

A cave, she thought, the word shooting a wave of terror through her, her body going cold at the foreign notion.

The world slowly closed in around her, until all she could focus on was the pitch black mouth in front of her, forgetting entirely about the fog at her heels. I - I can’t.

The sounds around her faded into the distance, the horn dying away completely, leaving nothing but the rapid pounding of her heartbeat in its place. The sound seemed to fill her head, thundering through her chest, making it hard to breath. Her skin felt sensitive, the hairs on her arms and neck standing on end, as if the temperature around her had dropped far too quickly. 

“-ans! What are you doing? Let’s go!” Bellamy’s voice suddenly cut through the fog that had settled around her brain. Her eyes snapped up to his face and she found him eyeing her, his expression somewhere between worry and fear. “We need to get inside!”

Go inside? 

She was already shaking her head before she’d fully comprehended his words. Stumbling back, she moved away from him, away from the cave.

“I...no. I can’t.” She stumbled over the words, her lungs seeming to struggle with the small task of talking.

A frown settled over his face. “What?” He demanded, looking perplexed at her answer, his eyes taking in the clammy look of her face and her defensive stance. “What’s wrong with you?” He took a slow, careful step towards her, acting like she was about to bolt. Maybe he was right.

Raising her hands up in front of her as if ward him off, she quickly realized they were shaking and clenched them tightly instead, moving them back down to her sides, trying to stop the uncontrollable movement. His eyes followed the movement with sharp eyes.

“I just...can’t.” Her tone held a pleading edge as she gazed back at him, hoping to convey the fear - the terror - that filled her at the thought of going in there.

He took another step towards her. “Evans, we don’t have time-”

But it was too late. The first wisps of fog slid around the corner, trailing over the ground towards them.

Even though it hadn’t fully settled upon them, her eyes began to burn, the nauseous smell of sulphur filling her nose as she stumbled back, her skin started to itch and burn. With a single gasp, her lungs followed suit, sending her into a fit of coughing that shook her body.

Eye’s sliding closed on instinct, to ward away the burn, she barely heard Bellamy coughing in front of her before strong arms wrapped around her torso, pinning her arms to her sides. Panicked and shocked, she gasped, lungs burning as she was pulled back towards a firm chest and lifted completely off of her feet. 

What is he doing?! Her mind screamed at her sending her into a panic, her movements frantic as she struggled against him, her elbow instinctively slamming back against his stomach.

Bellamy grunted at the hit, but didn’t let go, his grip only tightening in response as he hauled her forwards. With each of his footsteps, she could feel him coughing, his chest shuddering is he tried to avoid breathing in the toxic fumes that permeated the air around them.

Then she realized where he was dragging her.

No, no, nononono!

A choked cry escaped her and her struggles against him doubled in strength, using her arms and legs, looking for any purchase she could find. But her toes barely scraped the floor, her arms held fast at her sides, her hands only able to grasp the fabric of his clothes.

“N-no! Let - me go!” She coughed, but he ignored her, lurching them both forward and ducking down and through the small break in the rocks, desperate to get them away from the burning fog.

Her whole world went black.

Adrenaline flooded her system, her senses flaring out in panic, everything around her becoming crystal clear despite hardly being able to see anything around her.

The limited light coming from the mouth of the cave glinted off moist walls, the air tasting stale and damp. Any sounds they made reverberated through the small space around them, but sounding deadening all the same. 

Despite knowing the rock walls around them didn’t move, couldn’t move, they pressed in around her, drawing closer, pressing against her.

Then the space around her was getting smaller.

And smaller.

Air solidified around her, her throat closing off entirely, leaving her lungs screaming for air, each ragged gasp for breath doing nothing to alleviate the overwhelming feeling of drowning.

She hardly felt herself being settled on the rough ground, her knees giving out beneath her until her back rested on the uncomfortable cool rock behind her, the arms that had been supporting her sliding away, leaving her alone.

Alone in the dark.

With a pained moan, she rocked forwards, her hands pressed against her head, fingers threading tightly through her hair, the sharp tug at her scalp giving her something to hold onto.

Darkness embraced her, it’s grip too tight, trapping, squeezing, suffocating. Her body shook, the need to scream held back only by the desperate need for air.

She was losing control.

“Evans?” Blake called to her when he finally stopped coughing, his voice rough, echoing in the small space around them. “Shit - what’s the hell’s wrong with her?”

“I think - I think she’d afraid of this.” Charlotte’s voice filled the space around them, sounding scared and unsure.

“Of this - of what?” Bellamy questioned, sounding confused, shifting on his knees, the low ceiling of the cave not giving him enough space to stand.

“Small spaces.” The young girl elaborated, her voice low, as if she knew she were sharing a secret she wasn’t supposed to. The cave felt back into silence, all except Alex’s gasps for breath.

Through the panicked haze of her mind, Alex heard them, vaguely noticing that they sounded like they were talking at the far side of a large room, not just a few feet in front of her.

“Evans, hey.” Came Bellamy’s voice, suddenly sounding much closer, like he was directly in front of her. His tone had taken on an unknown tone, sounding soft, soothing, as if he were trying to calm a wild animal. 

Her lungs burned.

Can’t breath, can’t breath, can’t breath.

“Eva-” he paused, “Alex, can you hear me?”

Alex?

The sound of her name coming from his lips speared through the fog over her mind, giving her something to focus on. She latched onto it with all her might.

Focus, focus on it.

Although she continued gasping for breath, her eyes peaked open - when did I close them? - and met his worried gaze, the skin tight around his eyes as he stared back at her.

When her eyes met his own, his face softened. “There you go. You can do it. Focus,” he told her, his voice firm. He was crouched down in front of her, but when he saw he had her attention, he shifted until he was sitting cross-legged, his shins touching her legs, which were folded up under her chin.

Slowly, cautiously he reached out, grasping her wrists, and trying to gently pry her hands away from her head, where they were fisted painfully into her hair. Slowly she let go, allowing him to tug them away, but he didn’t let go, instead turning them over and wrapping his fingers around her own, holding them gently but firmly.

“Hey, you’re okay,” he said, voice steady and soothing, giving her hands a small squeeze. “Focus, look at me.” He ducked his head down to try and meet her eyes. Although it took a few seconds, her watery grey eyes met his brown, and he gave her an encouraging nod. “Good. Good, now, I want you to take a deep breath and hold it for a second, then let it go. Breathe, Alex. Do you think you can do that?” He leaned towards her, his face hovering just over her knees, never breaking his gaze, his grip constant in her hands.

Focus, breath. Focus on him.

Holding his hands as tightly as she could, she forced herself to give a shaky nod, and he shot her an encouraging smile.

“You can do this,” he continued, his voice gentle but commanding, giving her no option but to comply. “In and out. Breath.”

Breathe. She repeated to herself. You need to breathe.

Eyes sliding closed, she focused all her attention on regaining control. At first, her lungs protested, the air struggling to move through her airway, getting cut off before it could reach them. 

In and out…. In and out.

But as minutes went by, her breathing slowly began to even out, easing the tightness around her chest. Each breath reaching deeper into her lungs, and with it came relief.

When she finally took a deep breath and held it for a moment, Bellamy gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. “There you go,” he said, sounding slightly relieved.

With her breathing returning to normal, the panicked haze that had fallen over her mind beginning to fade, and reality was quick to set in. 

Oh God, Blake just saw you make a fool of yourself, was the first thought that crossed her mind, and instantly felt her cheeks flare red, embarrassment washing through her.

What’s he going to think now - Poor little Alex, the crybaby who’s afraid of absolutely nothing. You’re such a coward. She cringed at herself, before slowly opening her eyes to the darkness - she stamped down hard at the flutter of panic that rose up within her - her gaze falling to the side, and with a jolt, realized he was holding her hands….and that her cheeks were damp with tears.

With a jolt she slid her hands out of his, momentarily surprised when she met a slight resistance, before quickly wiping her face, trying to erase any evidence of tears - and embarrassment - from her face, before tucking them under her arms. 

She knew his eyes on her but refused to meet his gaze, knowing he was watching and waiting.

Waiting for you to have another mental breakdown, she thought bitterly. He probably thinks you’re crazy.

Now that she could hear past the pounding of her own heartbeat, all she could hear was the uncomfortable silence that had settled around them. Say something.

She cleared her throat, eyes fixed on the small amount of light coming through the cave’s entrance, trying to ignore the darkness around them. “I’m sorry.” She finally said, her voice rough. Sorry for what she didn’t know. Being a wimp? Being weak?

She nearly jumped when Bellamy slid around so he was sitting beside her, back resting against the cave wall, his side pressed against her own. She could feel the warmth radiating through his jacket and into her own. Was he doing it on purpose? Did he know the comfort it brought her, being reminded that she wasn’t alone?

Yeah. Right.

However, she didn’t know if she should be mad or not about the fact that he’d most certainly just placed himself between her and the only exit on purpose. But her mind felt too heavy, too tired to gather the strength to be angry.

“You don’t have to apologize,” he told her with a sigh, leaning his head back against the cave wall, stretching his legs out in front of himself, as far as the cramped space allowed, folding his arms across his chest.

Unsure and not knowing what to say after his comment, Alex looked around the cave instantly meeting Charlotte ever watchful gaze. She was sitting at the back, perched on a shelve in the rocks, her arms wrapped around her knees in front of her. She was relieved to see that the girl wasn’t looking as scared as before, the wild and terrified look in her eyes had faded away to exhaustion. Although the worried look on her face seemed permanently present.

Idiot, she’s probably worried about you.

When Charlotte shot her a small tentative smile, she returned it with a tiny one of her own hoping that it came across as at least marginally reassuring. She must have partially succeeded when she turned away, her blue eyes resting on the cave entrance once again.

Then she realized something.

“Atom?” She asked reluctantly. He wasn’t in the cave with them. With a frown, she thought back to when she’d last saw him. Hadn’t he been right behind them?

“I couldn’t - he didn’t make it in,” he said slowly. His shoulders rubbed against hers as he sighed.

“Oh.” She tried not to think of what that could mean, rubbing her hands together, knowing that she didn’t like the dread that shot through her when Bellamy didn’t meet her gaze. “Maybe...maybe he made it somewhere safe.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Bellamy swallowed, shifting slightly in his spot, turning to gaze out the cave entrance,

“Is it still…?” She began to ask after a pause, wondering if the fog was blocking their exist.

Bellamy nodded slowly. “I think so. But I’m going to give it some time before I check. We don’t need to lose anyone else.”

Alex bit the inside of her cheek. Please, let him have made it somewhere to hide.

When silence descended upon them, Alex saw Charlotte settle back against the rock, curling up and attempting to get comfortable, allowing her eyes to slide shut. Leaning her head back with a sigh, she decided to follow suit, allowing her eyes to slide shut. Maybe when you wake up, we’ll get out of this hell hole.

But as the seconds dragged into minutes and the minutes into hours, Alex realized that sleep was not going to come easy. The air in the cave was quick to warm up, and Bellamy shifted beside her, shoulder and arm rubbing against her own as he slipped out of his jacket.

Finally, with a weary sigh, Alex opened her eyes as she leaned forward, relaxing her legs until they were crossed in front of her, her elbow resting on her thighs as she rubbed her face tiredly. She wasn’t going to be able to sleep at all.

“Can’t sleep?” Bellamy asked her quietly, being mindful of Charlotte who was snoring softly at the back of the cave.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head, letting out an unintelligible noise of agreement. He huffed a laugh beside her.

“You know, I remember you from the Ark.” He said abruptly.

With a frown, she turned to look at him, wondering what he was talking about. She didn’t remember him at all. “What - you do?”

“Yeah, you used to hang out around the cafeteria on Alpha. You and those two scrawny kids. Used to get into trouble all the time.” He shot her an amused look out of the corner of his eye.

Cocking her head to the side, a rueful smile crossed her face at his observation. “Yeah, that was us, back in the day.” She gave a snort of laughter, “Liam, Nate and I were terrible. Mr. Miller even used to call us the Terrible Trio.” The smile slipped from her face, her chest aching thinking back to better times. “So, wait - you were in Alpha? I don’t remember seeing you there.” She wondered, studying him curiously.

“I used to pick up supplies at the Laundromat,” He explained, with a shrug. “But I spent most of my time in Factory before entering the Academy.”

A small grin twitched across her lips. “You know, we once reprogrammed the Laundromat door’s to only open half way before closing again,” she shook her head, “you should have seen the number of people who walked right into the door.”

“That was you?” he asked, before raised an eyebrow. “How did you manage to get access to the control panel?”

“Nate swiped an Access Card from some techie working on Alpha that day, the rest was all me,” she said, looking smug.

Bellamy shook his head, although clearly looked amused. “Being criminals before you were criminals, why am I not surprised.”

“It’s only a crime if you get caught,” she told him seriously, but when he raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her, she sent him a small wink.

Oh god, did I just wink at him? What are you doing? She wanted to bang her head against the wall.

“He still watches you, you know,” he said thoughtfully, seemingly unaware of her inner dilemma.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, cause that’s not a weird and creepy statement to make.”

He rolled his eyes, “Miller - he still keeps track of you. When you’re not looking.”

“Oh, even better,” she pressed her lips together, feel a stab of pain in her chest at the thought of her old friend, her gaze falling to the side. “Probably waiting to rage and scream at me ‘bout how everything’s my fault.”

“Hasn’t he already done that?” He asked, before raising a hand in front of himself in defense of her glare, not looking sorry about his quipped remark. He shrugged. “Seriously though. I don’t think you’ve completely burned down that bridge yet.”

Yeah, right.

“That’s reassuring,” she snapped lightly and when he looked like he was going to continue, she quickly interrupted with a sigh. “Look, can we not talk about him right now - or ever really?”

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, Alex staring pointedly at the glistening wall across from them, trying to ignore how Bellamy studied her out of the corner of her eye.

She sighed, “I have to ask - are you really a guard?”

He threw her a cocky grin in response. “What do you think?”

She rolled her eyes in response, although she couldn’t stop the upwards tick of her lips. “I think you probably wouldn’t tell me either way.”

“True,” he gave her a pensive look. “Being a guard has its benefits,” he wiggled his eyebrows at her, looking sly, “ whether it’s true - or not.”

She huffed a laugh, giving him a look. “I’m sure it help get into all the girl’s pants,” she quipped dryly.

“Not all,” he quipped lightly in reply, giving her a pointed look.

She narrowed her eyes at him in response. “Not going to happen, Blake.”

He huffed a laugh. “It was worth the-”

A soft pained moan echoed through the cave, cutting him off, and they both whipped around to look at where Charlotte was sitting, eyes closed, still asleep.

But it was clear whatever sleep she had was anything but peaceful. Her face was pinched in a pained expression and she kept flinching back, as if trying to move away from something in front of her. When she gave another pained moan, Alex knew she had to do something to help.

Leaning forward with the intent of getting up, trying not to think about how that would put her further into the darkness, she was halted by Bellamy’s hand, which grabbed her own, pulling her back before she could even get to her knees.

When she turned to frown at him, trying to shake his hand from her own, he refused to let go simply motioning for her to sit back down. “Stay here. I’ve got this.”

“But…” The words died at her lips when he sent her a stern look.

“You’re not going to be any help if you’re having a panic attack while she’s having a panic attack.”

Her mouth snapped shut, knowing he had a point. Leaning back sullenly, she rested her back against the cool rock again as he pushed himself up. Still on his knees, her turned back to her giving her a look.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Startled by the sincere question Alex gave a slow nod, “Yeah.”

After a moment, he nodded back, before glancing at the up at the mouth of the cave, then back down towards her. Slowly releasing her hand, he raised a finger towards her, he gave a serious frown, “Don’t move,” he warned, “I’m not going to go chasing after you if you make a break for it.” He nodded towards the front of the cave.

“I’ll be fine.”

With an almost reluctant look, he turned away, heading towards Charlotte who’d begun to cry out and thrash in her sleep.

Puzzled, Alex watched him go, wondering how this was the same Bellamy she’d been butting heads with from the moment they landed. Somehow, he’d helped her calm from a panic attack, and other than a few snide comments, they’d actually had a decent conversation for once.

He’d held her hand when she needed something to hold onto, something to bring her back to herself. He hadn’t laughed at her or shunned her like she would’ve expected.

He let his mask fall away.

Maybe he’s like you, just someone trying to survive...trying to not get hurt. The difference is that he clearly has no problem taking on the role of a leader to get what he wants. Whereas you just pull away.

Watching in fascination as Bellamy soothed Charlotte from the demons that haunted her sleep, his expression was open and sincere as talked to her. Suddenly, the pieces fell together. It all made sense.

Why wouldn’t he be good at comforting people? He’s probably spent years taking care of Octavia, making sure she survived and keeping her away from the rest of the Ark. I mean, he came down on the Dropship for the one person who mattered the most to him, despite the chance that they might’ve not even survived the landing! He needed to be tough for a long time.

One thing was for sure, there was more to Bellamy Blake than met the eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?  
> Thanks for reading! :)


	16. Chapter 16

Another couple of hours went by before anyone of them dared to peek outside the cave and by that point Alex couldn’t stop fidgeting; the feeling of being cooped up in such a small space becoming more unbearable to longer they sat there. 

She couldn’t wait to get out of this little hell-hole.

But the deathly, still silence outside the cave reminded her that it still wasn’t safe to go outside.

So they stayed. 

And they waited. 

It was clear that she wasn’t the only one impatient to get out of there: Charlotte continuously shifted in her spot at the back of the cave. Bellamy appeared to be the only one even remotely relaxed with their situation, arms folded across his chest, hands tucked under his arms, head resting on the cool rock behind him.

However, one thing they all held in common was how intently they were all listening, ears straining, trying to hear any sign that the danger had finally passed.

With a sigh, Alex once again ran her fingers over the same rough uneven patch of ground, for what must have been the thousandth time, feeling for any pebbles she could add to the growing pile at her side. The repetitive motion was soothing, keeping her mind focused on the moment, distracting her from this never ending situation that she found herself in.

You should have stayed at the drop ship... If you had, you wouldn’t be stuck in a cave next to the one of the most confusing guys you’ve ever met. 

The warm shoulder at her side reminded her that said confusing guy was still sitting patiently at her side, not seemingly bothered by the mind numbing boredom. Or her fidgeting. Or anything at all really.

Bellamy confused her. It was as simple as that. Pretty much from the moment they had landed he’d been abrasive and antagonistic, going out of his way to put himself in charge of the rowdy group of delinquents he’d landed with and making sure that everyone knew that fact. And anyone who argued with that fact would answer to him.

But he’d now saved her ass on more than one occasion. He’d stopped her falling to her death; stopped Murphy from beating the shit out of her to get her wristband. And now...he’d done everything he could to help her with her panic attack.

He even held your hands, for fuck’s sake.

Frowning, she placed a new round pebble at the top of her pile, only to watch with disinterest at it rolled off, clattering onto the cave floor.

And he called you Alex…

Everything he’d done around her was a clear contradiction to the facade he presented to everyone else.

She didn’t know what to make of his seemingly split personality. And thinking about it was going to give her a headache.

After comforting Charlotte from her nightmare, Bellamy had returned to her side, placing himself once again between her and the exit, his arm pressed against her own, and he’d been snoozing ever since.

At some point there waiting would have to end.

When the first sound a bird twittering echoed from outside the cave, all three of their heads snapped up to look towards the entrance, Bellamy and Alex exchanging a brief questioning look before turning to study the dimly lit gap in the rocks warily. 

“You think…?” Alex asked, feeling marginally hopeful, trailing off at the obvious question.

Bellamy have shrugged in response, giving her an ‘how should I know’ look before pushing himself up into a crouch. “Only one way to find out.” Before she could even breathe a word of protest, he’d ducked out of the entrance and into the bright light beyond.

“The idiot did even check…” She grumbled to herself, but leaned forward, listening intently for any sign of distress, any sign that he’d been wrong. But the outside was silent and she couldn’t hear anything past the suddenly nervous flutter of her own heartbeat.

Come on, come on. Where are you?

After a pause, Bellamy’s head suddenly popped in the cave, looking fine. “It’s good,” he said, eyeing her expression before smirking, looking mildly amused. “No need to look so worried, Evans,” he said, and ducked out the cave again before she could reply.

The abrupt switch back to her last name gave her pause, and she felt surprised by the way her heart dropped at the change. Why would he call you Alex, it’s not like you’re even friends, she told herself, shaking her head to rid herself of the unexpected feeling.

“Arrogant, smug asshole…” She grumbled to herself, rolling her eyes, although the words lacked any heat. Pushing herself up, she glanced back to make sure Charlotte was following, then promptly ducked out into the daylight.

Blinking repeatedly to let her eyes adjust to the abrupt change in light, she breathed in deeply, relieved at the feeling of cool, fresh air brushing across her face. Taking a step out of the way to give Charlotte enough space to crawl out, she glanced back at the black gap in the rocks, unable to hold back the shudder that crawled through her. 

“Let’s never do that again,” she stated to no one in particular, but Charlotte gave an enthusiastic nod in response, looking just as relieved to be outside the cave as she felt.

Stepping forwards, she came to stop besides Bellamy, glancing around the forest in front of them, looking for any sign that something was out of place. Although she didn’t know what she was looking for - there was no sign the fog had ever been there in the first place. Everything looked...normal. The way it had been before they knew that the poisonous fog even existed.

Why would things be different? It’s just fog.

While there was no sign of fog, there was also no sign of the rest of the hunting party either. No sign of Atom.

She swallowed hard when she noted that even the screams they’d heard while running had gone quiet. Everything was silent in the forest around them, save for the occasional bird which twittered overhead.

He was right behind you.

“Let’s head back to the dropship,” Bellamy stated, eyes hard - worried - as he looked out into the forest.

She shook her head, looking up at him. “We should look around and meet up with the others first find Atom. He- he can’t be far,” she said, dragging her teeth over her bottom lip as worry flowed through her. ”He was right behind me.”

Bellamy hesitated for a second before nodding. “Right. We can retrace our steps, keep an eye out for him and any of the others.”

As he took the first step, Alex turned to look at Charlotte, who was standing closeby, gazing out into the forest with apprehension. Offering her a hand, the young girl was quick to grasp it, holding on tightly, looking nervously out into the forest.

“Ready to go?” Alex asked.

Charlotte nodded slowly in response. “Yeah….” She hesitated, “do you think the fog is gone forever?”

“I hope so.” Alex gave her hand a small squeeze, and a half uncertain - half reassuring smile, before looking around. “I sure as hell hope so,” she muttered to herself.

As they walked, there was a distinct nervousness about them, jumping at different sounds, startling when someone broke a branch underfoot. Alex didn’t know if it came from wariness that the yellow fog would reappear at any moment and they weren’t anywhere close to safety, or if it was because as they retraced their footsteps, there was no sign of any of the others.

They must have made it to safety. They have to.

Her eyes darted from the ground to the trees and back again, looking for any clue as to where they’d gone.

When her gaze landed on a patch of leaves that had been strewn about, revealing the moist soil underneath, she paused. Wait. There.

Charlotte followed her lead, stopping next to her and giving her a puzzled look, but Alex was too busy gazing around, looking for any sign of the other boy.

“Wait,” she called to Bellamy, who was still moving ahead. When he turned and saw that they’d stopped, he made his way back to them, giving her a questioning look.

She motioned to the ground with one hand. “This… I think this is where I ran into Atom.” Letting go of Charlotte’s hand, she took a few steps back in the direction of the cave, looking for any evidence of when they’d split up. “He was still with us here,” she mumbled as she drifted around, her eyes never stopped moving, jumping from patch to patch of ground. Charlotte was quick to follow suit, trailing in a slightly different direction to look around.   
She missed the considering and slightly impressed look Bellamy gave her, before he sighed and took a lungful of air and cupped his hands around his mouth.

“ATOM!” He suddenly called out, and Alex whirled back toward him in fright, clenching at her chest, heart jumping into her throat at the unexpected sound.

She shot him a dirty look. “A little warning would’ve been nice,” she groused at him. Although she’d have to admit that it was a good idea. Not that she’d ever tell him that. 

When he caught her eye, he shrugged in response and called out again. “ATOM!”

This time there was an immediate reply. “BELLAMY!” Someone called out and they all turned towards the voice. Although Alex knew it wasn’t Atom, relief washed through her that some of the others were okay.

Jones and a couple other guys crashed through the bushes, coming down the hill towards them. Despite looking dirty and exhausted, the three of them appeared unharmed.

“Jones,” Bellamy said, sounding relieved as he stepped towards them. “Lost you guys in the stew. Where’d you end up?”

Jones motioned back the way they’d come. “We managed to find a cave up that way - holed up in there until that stuff cleared off. Heard you guys call out and came looking.”

“What the hell was that stuff?”

Jones shook his head. “No idea, but it’s nothing good.”

They’re wasting time.

“Look,” Alex interrupted them, “can talk about what it was when we get back to the drop ship? Atom’s still missing. So, could we please stop chatting and start looking?” She asked them pointedly.

“No one was talking to you, Evans.” Jones instantly shot back at her and she had to roll her eyes.

“And I never said I was talking to you,” she pointed calmly before turning to Bellamy. “Are you helping, or not?”

Bellamy nodded and turned towards Jones and the others, “Alright, spread out and look for Atom. We saw him som-”

A shrill scream cut him off. As one, they all turned towards it, and almost at the same time, Alex realized Charlotte was once again not anywhere in the group. 

“Dammit.” Without waiting for the others, she took off at a full sprint in the direction the scream had come from.

Damn that girl. She doesn’t know when to stay close by. I swear she has a death wish.

The moment she stepped into the clearing, slowing to a stop near Charlotte, her gut twisted as if she’d been sucker punched by the sight before her. 

Whatever she’d been expecting to find it hadn’t been this.

The young girl stood only meter away from a downed Atom, staring at him in shock, eyes wide as she cried.

Alex couldn’t blame her, she wanted to do the same.

Her brain automatically brought up a memory from long ago, one she’d all but forgotten. She could still smell skin burning, and she shuddered as her mind brought up the images of an old man. She’d been following him at work for the day, her curious eyes following skilled hands as he pieced things together. Things had happened so fast - his hand had accidentally caught against a welding rod. She remembered his gasp of pain, the skin red and raw, blistering and peeling away as he cradled it. The scars has been tremendous, even after Clarke’s Mom had treated it.

But this was so much worse than that.

Every inch of his skin that she could see was covered in red, blistering welts. In many places the skin was split and weeping, clear yellow fluid slipping through the deep cracks. His eyes were open, although unblinking, his previously brown eyes covered in a milky white film. He wasn’t moving. She couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.

He looked dead.

It was only when Charlotte gave another whimper that he twitched, his head turning slowly towards the sound. Alex inhaled sharply.

Oh my God, he’s still alive!

Alex didn’t know if she should be relieved or horrified at the revelation. This wasn’t like Jasper, whose injuries, while life threatening had been straightforward. Here there was nothing they could do - no bandage or ointments they could apply, no medication they could give him to sooth his pain.

She felt sick.

But we need to do something, we can’t just leave him like this.

As Bellamy and the other’s arrived beside her, she swallowed the bile that had risen up in her throat, and took a reluctant step forward, reaching out and gently pulling Charlotte away from him, grabbing her shoulders and turning her away from horrendous sight.

“Don’t look.” Her voice cracked as she nudged the young girl to move away.

“But…” she whimpered, staring up at her, her eyes wide.

“Charlotte,” Alex cut her off, her voice weary. “Please.”

When she finally got a nod in response, Alex stepped towards the fallen boy, slowly lowering herself to kneel down beside him. Her hands shook as they fluttered over him, not touching him, not knowing how to begin helping him. 

She didn’t know what to do. She was useless.

No, there is one thing you can do.

“Oh, Atom…” she breathed and being mindful of his injuries, reached down and grasped his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She knew she’d made the right choice when his fingers slowly closed tightly around her own.

You can make sure that he knows that he’s not alone. That’s going to have to be enough.

“Son of a bitch. Atom,” Bellamy said as knelt down on his other side, looking down at Atom as hopelessly as she felt. At the sound of his voice Atom let out a pained moan, turning his head towards Bellamy, but it was clear from the way his eyes flickered around that he couldn’t see him.

“Be...Be…” Atom panted out, his chest seeming to rise and fall rapidly, each gasp for breath ragged and shallow, sounding like he was gurgling through water. Reaching out he blindly grasped at Bellamy’s sleeve, clenching the material tightly in his fist when he made contact.

Bellamy swallowed hard. “Hey man. I’m here.” He hesitantly reached out and lightly placed his hand over Atom’s, looking uncertain, wary that he might be causing more pain. Atom didn’t react at all, saved grasping Bellamy’s jacket and pulling him closer. Bellamy was quick to oblige, leaning forward and bringing his ear close to Atom’s mouth.

Atom took a few shuddering breaths before choking out. “Kill me. Kill...me.”

All the air seemed to escape her lungs in a rush as Alex leaned back heavily on her heels, staring down at the boy in shock, trying to ignore the chill which rushed through her bones, the hairs on her arms standing on end.

He was asking - no, pleading - for Bellamy to end his life.

Eyes flicking up from Atom, they landed on the man who Atom had just asked to kill him. Bellamy was staring unblinkingly at down at Atom, jaw dropped, and for the first time since Alex had known him, he looked uncertain at the choice he had to make.

She couldn’t blame him. Being asked by someone to end their suffering - to become a murderer - even to help them, even to end their pain was 

Would he - could he - do it?

Atom choked, his chest moving rapidly with every breath, each one a ragged tortured noise that left no doubt in her mind that he was in pain. In a lot of it. And then his body seized, his eyes rolling back in his head, his entire body trembling.

Alex felt her eyes tear up, grasping his hand with both her own as she stared down at him, her shoulders tense, wondering which gasp for breath would be the last. If he would die in front of them before Bellamy had even had time to think things through. When the spasms subsided, she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. 

“Please,” Atom choked out, grasping at Bellamy’s sleeve, “I….can’t….breath…”

Those words were all it took to for Bellamy’s uncertainty to waver and fade. He blinked, his expression hardening. Looking over his shoulder to where Jones, Charlotte and the rest of the group stood, their faces a mixture of worry and uncertainty as they looked on, he nodded. “Go back to camp,” he ordered, voice firm. 

Jones hesitated, glancing down to Atom before nodding reluctantly and turning to the rest of the group. “Let’s go.” He said, ushering them away. When they reluctantly began to move away, he shot them one final look over his shoulder, looking almost sad. Then they were gone. 

All except for Charlotte.

The young girl was rooted on the spot, eyes wide as she stared down at Atom, her expression one that Alex couldn’t quite place, but a swirl of unease rolled through her.

“Charlotte,” Alex said softly, and Charlotte’s gaze snapped to her, “go back with the rest of them.”

Charlotte hesitated only a second, before nodding, but instead of turning and leaving like Alex expected her to, she took a few shuffling steps forward, gaze flickering from her, to Atom, to Bellamy. Coming to stop next to Bellamy, she blinked down at his kneeling form before reaching into her jacket pocket and drawing out a small blade.

Alex frowned, surprised when she held out the blade to Bellamy, noting his lack of surprise at the sight of Charlotte holding a weapon. Annoyance flared through her, when she recognized it as the one she’d seen Bellamy with earlier. When had he given her the knife?

Now’s not the time. You can deal with that later.

Bellamy tentatively reached out and took the blade from Charlotte’s outstretched hand, meeting her gaze with an uncertain look.

“Don’t be afraid,” Charlotte said, her words sounding much older than they should be for a twelve year old girl. Alex frowned as she watched her, wondering who exactly she was talking to.

Then she turn away and was gone.

Bellamy turned to her, carefully void of expression, but a flicker of something crossed his face, showing her that he was fighting back what he was truly feeling. “You should go with them.”

She shook her head, looking down at Atom. “I’m staying,” she told him softly.

He tried again. “Alex - ” he began, but her eyes flickered up to meet his eyes, her expression serious and certain in her choice.

“I’m. Staying,” she repeated firmly, hoping that her voice conveyed her determination to remain behind.

I’m staying for him. I’m staying for you. No one should have to go through this alone. Neither of you.

His eyes darted across her face searching for something before he finally gave a hesitant nod, his expression momentarily giving away to something thankful, some type of relief at the fact that he wouldn’t have to do this on his own.

I wouldn’t let you or anyone else do this by themselves. It’s never easy to take a life. She thought, thinking back to the time when blood had covered her own hands. She’d made her own choice then.

Bellamy’s gaze dropped back down to Atom, and he held the knife tightly in his grasp, slowly raising the blade towards his throat. When it was only inches from his skin, Alex held her breath, gripping Atom’s hand tightly in her own.

But then Bellamy’s hand shook, hesitation settling over his face, and he slowly dropped his hand onto his lap, leaning back and closing his eyes, taking a shaky breath. When he opened his eye and briefly met her own, she shot him a sympathetic and understanding look, but he was quickly to drop his gaze away.

It was as clear as day, Bellamy Blake wasn’t a murderer.

It shouldn’t be easy to take a life.

When Atom let out a strangled cry, they both flinched. Alex felt her heart sank as she stared down at him.

What are you going to do now? Will you be brave enough to take up the blade and do what needs to be done? Get your hands dirty one more time?

Before she could really begin contemplating her options - if she even had any - the crack of a branch caught both her and Bellamy's attention. Their heads snapped up to face the sound, only to find Clarke bushing past some branches as she stepped into the clearing, eyeing them both warily, before her gaze landed on Atom.

“Clarke,” Alex breathed in relief. You coward.

“I heard screaming,” Clarke said, explanation of how she found them.

“Can you help him?” Alex hurried to explain, “You….your Mom…” She trailed off as Clarke came closer, and she shuffled over, giving Clarke enough space to kneel down next to them. She kept a tight grip on Atom’s hand, unwilling to give up the only piece of comfort she could offer him. 

Any other words died in her throat when Atom seemed to notice the movement of Clarke sitting down and rolled his head to face her.

“Kill...me. Plea...se” He moaned, staring up at her, a tear trailing down from the corner of his eye.

Clarke was quiet a moment, but Alex instantly knew that there was nothing the other girl could do. Deep down she’d always known, but she had to hope that something could be done to help him. Her feeling was only confirmed when Clarke glanced up at her and Bellamy and shook her head minutely. Then she returned her attention to the injured boy, a soft, comforting look on her face.

“Hey,” Clarke said softly, gently pushing back the hair from his forehead, just how she supposed a mother would do for their sick child. “I’m going to help you, okay? Just relax….Shh, there you go. Relax....” 

Then she began to hum.

The pleasant sound filled the area around them, Alex finding the tune oddly comforting - a sound from a distant memory. Something faint, in the back of her mind.

When Clarke’s other hand slowly reached out for the blade Bellamy held limply in his hand, her heart lurched in her chest. Bellamy could only seem to watch her numbly, handing the blade over easily.

She’s going to do it….

Alex continued to rub soothing circles in the palm of Atom’s hand, though her eyes couldn’t seem to pull away from Clarke and the blade.

It was only when the blade first pierced the soft skin of his neck that she felt her breath catch in her chest. The blade easily sank fully into the tender skin of his neck. As his hand clenched tightly around her own, she gripped it back with everything she could, offering the only comfort she could. You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay.

Clarke continued humming as she pulled the blade out, hot blood gushing out over the blade.

Atom coughed and choked, eyes wide, his lips staining red as his life drained out from him and onto the forest floor below.

It’s okay, you’re okay. Don’t be scared, you’re not alone.

Clarke hummed, her hands trailing soothingly through his hair. 

Then Atom gave one final gasp for air.

Everything went still. 

The pained expression on his face slowly eased, the tension around his eyes slowly faded away, though his blind eyes continued to stare up through the trees, to the blue sky above. His hand relaxed in her own.

Alex let her eyes slide closed, tilting her head back, feeling the burn of tears and trying to will them away, but she couldn’t stop the few that escaped, sliding down the side of her face. Opening her eyes to stare up at the brilliant blue above them, she hoped that wherever he was now, Atom was finally at peace.

May we meet again.


	17. Chapter 17

The walk back to camp was quiet and somber, none of them interested in talking when the thought of Atom hung heavily around them. An ever present chill permeated the air, causing Alex to shiver as she walked, arms folded across her chest, hands tucked under them for warm.

Maybe the chill accompanied the thought that they’d lost one of their own. 

She always knew there was a chance that things could go wrong, that they could all die, that they most likely would never even make it to Earth; the heat and stress of re-entering the atmosphere would be too much for the dropship. But they had survived, they had made it. And although they’d lost the two boys at the time, their death had been nobody’s fault but their own. There had been no way to stop them.

They’d know that Earth would be dangerous, survival would be a struggle and there was a chance that none of them would even survive. Cold, hunger, disease. So many things that none of them had ever been exposed to.

That’s why the Ark had sent them down in the first place. They were testing the surface. Had enough time gone by to make earth livable again?

Besides, it was the easiest way to get rid of one hundred delinquents, whether they lived or died. One hundred less people who would consume food, water and air.

But with Atom’s death, the dangers of being on Earth were suddenly much more real. There were things on Earth, phenomena like the fog that no one on the Ark had ever seen before, let alone heard about, that they didn’t know how to deal with. Something deadly that they had no way to fight off, no way to protect themselves from. Something they knew nothing about.

They were fighting for survival against things they didn’t even know existed. 

So not only are humans still alive when we least expected it, but we’re surrounded by an environment that is constantly trying to kill us...

Trailing behind Clarke, she could hear the heavy footsteps and grunts of Bellamy, Finn and Wells, as they took turns carrying Atom’s body, each struggling under the dead weight and trying to keep their balance on the slippery moss covered roots beneath them. The two boys had shown up shortly after Clarke had arrived, following her trail. Both to late to help with Atom. Both stunned at the sight.

“Octavia needs to know,” Bellamy had said, his voice hollow as he stared down at Atom’s body, before hauling him up and over his shoulders. Although not usually one’s to follow Bellamy’s lead, both Finn and Wells stepped up to help, offering him a hand when he started to falter on the way back.

The sun had long gone down by the time they made it to camp. As they passed through the newly installed gate, they blinked numbly around the clearing before the dropship, the relit fires casting the space in an eerie orange glow, breaking up the dim evening light. Those sitting closest to the gate were the first to rise, and a wave of murmurs spread out as people caught sight of them.

Alex had a painful lump in her throat as she watched Wells and Finn slowly lower Atom to the ground, his face carefully covered by his jacket. When they stepped back, exhaustion lined their every feature as their stared down at the fallen boy. The gathering crowd began to chatter amongst themselves at the sight, several people calling out and asking what had happened.

Clarke was quick to turn to the rest of them, “I need to go to Jasper. I’ll need boiled water to make the medicine.”

Bellamy nodded firmly. “Of course. Whatever you need.” Clarke looked surprised by his quick acknowledgement, but decided not to comment on it.

Despite her exhaustion, Alex knew she needed to do something, to do whatever she could to help Jasper get better. They couldn’t lose another person today. “I can do that. I can get some boiled water,” she stated, stepping up. Clarke shot her an appreciative look, before her and Finn turned and hurried through the crowd towards the dropship.

Bellamy met her eyes, taking in her expression, before giving her a nod and turning to look at a brown haired girl standing on his other side. “Roma,” Bellamy began, and the girl brightened under his attention, “give Alex a hand. Get her anything she needs.” As he continued, her pleased expression slowly fell, turning into disbelief. At Alex’s name, she shot her a sneer of disgust, which Bellamy responded with a cool glare of his own. “Now.”

Alex rolled her eyes turning away, intending to find the metal tin they’d need using to boil water so far, with or without the other girl’s help. But as she turned she met Wells eyes. He gave her a tired look, but still managed to give her a grim smile. “Guess I’ve got another grave to dig.”

She nodded. “I’ll come find you when I’m done,” she told him, reaching out and giving his arm a gentle squeeze. He nodded and they parted ways.

She headed in the direction of the fire that had been used to boil water since they’d landed, hearing Roma giving an exaggerated sigh and following her. As she walked she passed an annoyed looking Octavia who was heading in the opposite direction and when she met her eyes, Octavia’s expression faltered before Alex could look away and keep walking.

“Octavia, stay there,” Bellamy began, his voice taking on a pleading edge as they moved away from the area.

Oh boy, that’s not going to be easy. Alex thought, pity flowing through her at the thought of the other girl discovering what happened. She knew the two of them had been growing close since they’d landed; Atom’s death was going to be tough for her to deal with.

“So,” Roma drawled from behind her and Alex had to grit her teeth - she could hear the smirk on the other girl’s face. “You and Jaha seem pretty cozy. Anything going on there that the rest of us should know about?”

“No?” Alex frowned, unsure why Roma had decided that today of all days she’d try to pick a fight. Sure, she wasn’t exactly popular or well likely by most of the group, but she’d done her best to keep to herself and generally out of trouble. And she’d never talked to the other girl, only knowing her in passing. Eyes darting from fire to fire, she kept searching for the tin.

“Are you sure?” Roma simpered, speeding up and easily catching up to her, her longer legs easily covering the distance, “What about Miller? Hmm - I hear you guys used to be really close.” She leaned towards her, whispering almost like she was going to share a secret with her, “He’s pretty cute. So, tell me, was he a good fuck?”

Something inside Alex snapped. Maybe the stress finally caught up to her; maybe she didn’t appreciate her talking about Nate in such a way. All she knew was that she’s had enough. But as she whirled around and stepped in front of Roma, the other girl stumbling to avoid crashing into her, the fiery feeling inside her seeped away, a cool deadly anger taking its place. Roma was either looking for trouble or attention. And who know, maybe it was her way of dealing with the stressful day.

“Listen, you uncaring bitch,” Alex snarled up at her, “maybe the only thing you care about is getting into every guy’s pants, fine. I don’t care. But show some fucking respect. In case you hadn’t noticed, someone died today.” Roma’s expression fell slightly at the reminder, although she glared back, unwilling to back down. Alex turned around and scooped the closest empty bottle before turning and shoving it into the other girl’s chest. “There is someone else who needs our help. So, shut up and go get some water.”

The taller girl glared at her, her face turning red even in the orange glow of the fire. Maybe she wasn’t used to being stared down? Maybe she was used to getting her way. But unfortunately for her, Alex wasn’t going to budge an inch, glaring back at her with her shoulders squared, chin tilted up, letting the taller girl know that she expected her to do as told. Finally, Roma turned away with a huff, snatching the bottle from her hand and storming towards the water container the group had set up to do what she’d asked.

Instead of watching her go, Alex let her eyes slide shut, taking a deep breath before trying to expel the rest of the anger that still festered in her chest. Calm down. Getting angry isn’t going to help Jasper. Opening her eyes, she looked back towards the fire, feeling relieved when her eyes landed on the metal tin she was looking for.

Reaching out, she scooped it up, gripping the cool metal between her fingers, before kneeling down and setting it up at the closest fire. Fortunately, those who’d been sitting around it earlier had been drawn away, curious about their arrival.

Like vultures.

When Roma finally returned with the water, the two girls didn’t exchange a single word, Roma simply handing over the water and helping her set up the fire. It didn’t take long for the water to boil, and the moment it was done, the taller girl was gone heading back the way they’d come.

Alex sighed as she carefully handled the boiled water, using her jacket to carry the hot tin as she made her way to the dropship. An anxious Monty was waiting for her on the ramp, and impatiently motioned for her to hand it over, using his own jacket to grasp is, before hurrying back inside.

Rubbing her hands tiredly over her face, she took a minute to pull herself together. She’d done her part for helping Jasper, now all she could do is wait to see if Clarke’s medication would work. The day’s events finally hit her and her shoulders drooped from the weight of her exhaustion. She had to sleep. She briefly entertained the thought of finding somewhere to hide so no one disturbed her. But what if someone needs me? Charlotte and Jemma came to mind. Squaring her shoulders, she pushed her exhaustion back. She had to check up on them before settling in for the night. Then she could finally sleep.  
\-----------------------

The two younger girls had been surprisingly easy to find, both of them huddled quietly around the fire closest to their tent. As she approached, they both looked up, Jemma’s face breaking into a small relieved smile, while Charlotte only glanced up at her, expression distant before quickly returning her gaze to the fire.

Alex mentally shrugged off the weird behaviour. Their day had been long and stressful, she couldn’t fault her for that.

Probably just as tired as I am.

“Hey,” Alex said, sink down beside them, revelling in the feeling of finally being off of her feet. Jemma took the opportunity to launch herself at her, wrapping her arms around Alex’s chest tightly. The collision forced the air out of her lungs and Alex had to brace herself with one hand, the other wrapping around the young girl’s shoulders to keep her balance. “Hey!” Alex yelped in shock, but when the dark haired girl buried her face in her shoulder, her shoulders shaking, Alex realized something was wrong. Worry shot through her, why was she crying? “Jemma? What’s wrong - you alright?”

Jemma nodded, her face still buried in her shoulder, before pulling back from her and rubbing her face with her sleeve, her face blotchy from crying. 

Alex waited for the girl to catch her breath, brushing some stray hair’s out of her face. Once she’d calmed down enough, she tried again. “What’s wrong?” She asked her softly.

Jemma took a shaky breath. “You left and Charlotte left and then the yellow stuff came and I couldn’t find anybody!” She rushed, “I couldn’t breath and my eyes burnt…” She trailed off, glancing away, all of a sudden looking embarrassed. “I was worried that something had happened to you.” 

“Hey,” Alex said pulling her close. “We’re both here - and we’re not going anywhere. Right, Charlotte?” She asked, glancing up at the girl in question, but when Charlotte mulishly turned her head away, only giving a slight nod in response. Alex frowned at her, slightly annoyed at her uncaring attitude. But that was something she could ask her about later. Softening her expression, she smiled gently down at Jemma, although the expression felt like it took more effort than usual. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

Jemma smiled up at her.

Charlotte abruptly pushed herself up to her feet, both Alex and Jemma looking up at the movement. “I’m going to bed,” she stated, before staring down at Jemma expectantly, her expression hard. “You coming?”

Jemma looked confused at the sudden question, but glanced back at Alex as if asking if she was coming with them. Alex shook her head in response, suddenly remembering that she’d told Wells she would meet up with him, and he was probably waiting for her.

“Go on,” she nodded, “I think we’re all exhausted. You guys head in and I’ll be in there in a bit.” She said, helping Jemma to her feet. “I’m just going to check on Wells quickly.”

Jemma glanced back at her with a nod and a smile. “Okay. G’night Alex,” she said, before making her way around to Charlotte.

Alex frowned when Charlotte pointedly turned away, clearly not intending to say anything to her at all. Did I say something that bothered her? Getting annoyed with the girl’s attitude, she called out pointedly, “Good night, Charlotte.”

Charlotte paused just outside their tent but didn’t turn back to look at her, simply muttering a quick “G’night,” before ducking into underneath the flap, Jemma sending Alex a questioning look before doing the same.

Standing alone, Alex felt her shoulders sag in exhaustion, feeling puzzled at Charlotte behaviour.

You can ask her about it tomorrow, she thought, she’s probably just tired from today...and upset about Atom. She did find him after all. Alex rolled her shoulders, twisting her neck one way then the other, feeling the satisfying ‘pop’ that came with the motion. One more thing to do, then you can sleep. 

Heading off in the direction she thought Wells would be, she passed by several fires, some still surrounded by chatting teenagers and others settling down for the night. Those who talked were quiet, the camp having taken on a sombre atmosphere as people realized that Atom was dead. He’d been well liked by many.

Finally making her way across the clearing to the other side, she found Wells exactly where she thought he would be - sitting on the same log where they’d chatter after first burying the two other boys.

When Alex finally planted her butt on the ground next to him, she promptly threw herself backwards onto the mossy embankment behind them. With a sigh she stretched, hands high above her before she sagged to the ground, her body easily moulding with the contours of the ground. 

A dry snort of amusement came from beside her, “Rough day?”

“You have nooo idea.” Alex replied with a yawn, “All I want to do is sleep for the next four years.”

“Four years?” Wells asked, voice light. “That seems...oddly specific.”

“No,” she disagreed. “Four years seems like that right amount of time to recuperate from all this shit.,” she gave a bitter laugh, “one year for the time spent in the Box, another for our shitty landing, one to forget about the fact that my best friend hates my guts and the last, but definitely not least, to forget the fact that we are slowly dying of. One. By. One. ” Her words came out harsher than she’d intended and they both fell into an almost uncomfortable silent, Wells seeming unsure what to say to her admission. Get your shit together. She told herself, taking a deep breath before sitting up and rubbing her face. “So. Tell me something about your day. It can’t have possibly been any worse than mine?” She questioned, turning to look at him expectantly.

A hesitant but happy smile crossed his face. “Well, Clarke finally came to talk to me today.”

Alex felt her eyebrows raise in surprise, “Oh?” She didn’t think they were going to be on talking terms anytime soon. She wondered what had changed.

Wells nodded, his smile growing, eyes crinkling. “Yeah! I think… I think things are finally going to get better between us.”

She reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a brief hug. “I’m happy for you, Wells. I know how much it’s been bothering you. Now, you guys won’t have to dance around each other all the time.” She smirked at him.

He huffed a laugh at her. “I sure hope so,” he sighed looking content as he stared out into the dark forest ahead of them, his expression taking on a sad but pensive look. “Al, I know today was a shitty day, for… Well, for everyone really. But... I honestly feel like that was the worst of it. That things are going to get better from here on out. They only can get better from here on out.”

Alex smiled at his optimism, although she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe his words. “I sure hope so,” she said, echoing his earlier response, before narrowing her eyes at him in a mocking glare, and raising a threatening finger towards his face, “Oi, no one gets to call me Al.” 

“Sure, sure.” He waved her off with a roll of his eyes, but couldn’t hide the twitch of his lips.

She would have smiled in response, but another yawn overtook her. “Alright, I think I’m done for the night. I’m going to head to bed,” she told him, pushing herself to her feet. Turning, she peered down at him, noticing he hadn’t moved, “You heading in soon?” She asked with a furrow of her brow.

He shook his head. “Nah, I volunteered for night watch.”

She blinked down at him dumbly, “Seriously?” She shook her head in amusement, “How do you have any energy after today? I’m dead on my feet.”

He shrugged. “I dunno. I guess I just feel wired. Lots happened today. I guess I’m just looking forward to being able to think some things through. The peace and quiet will definitely help.”

She gave him a dry look before cracking a smile, “Well, don’t let me interrupt your ‘peace and quiet’,” she said, doing air quotes with her fingers. 

He grinned up at her. “Yeah, get out of here. Can’t hear myself talk with all your babbling.”

“I try my best,” she bowed mockingly. Straightening, she moved to step passed him, patting him on the shoulder. “Don’t stay up too late... or you’ll be no help tomorrow. I’m sure Bellamy is going to be pushing to get the wall done as soon as possible. And I’m not doing all the work.”

“Bellamy, huh?” He asked, giving her a sly look before wiggling his eyebrows up at her. She was momentarily confused, until she realized she’d called Bellamy by his first name. “Something change between you two? Just this morning you were spitting his last name like a curse.”

She rolled her eyes, although she was glad for the darkness that hid the unintended blush that spread across her cheeks. She quickly shook her head, “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” She brushed him off casually.

He shot her a dry look, “Uh-huh.” He shrugged, “You’ll tell me eventually. You know that camp gossip is my thing.”

“Nothing happened,” she told him firmly before deciding to elaborate a little bit, “We just had to spend a lot of time together in a confined space.” When Wells’ wiggled his eyebrows up at her again, she smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Not like that, you goof. Charlotte was with us the entire time.”

“Alright, alright.” He said, pretending to rub his arm, wincing, “No need to get violent.”

“Pretty sure violent is my middle name,” she muttered, rubbing her chin, “Alright,” she echoed firmly in response, before softening her expression. “I’m heading in. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yup.” He said, reaching up and squeezing her hand. “Sleep well, Al.”

Rolling her eyes, she ignored the nickname, squeezing his hand gently in response, “Night night, Welly.” She said before heading up the hill, and back towards the dropship, ignoring the indignant shout behind her with a shake of her head.

Watching her steps, she rounded a large tree at the edge of the clearing.

And promptly slammed into someone.

She nearly lost her balance, when two strong hands latched onto her upper arms, keeping her in place. Startled she glanced up, and found Bellamy looking down at her looking perplexed.

Her exhaustion instantly flared to anger. “Watch where you’re going, Blake,” she snapped up at him with a glare. 

The reaction was instantaneous. His expression cooled, and he dropped her arms, taking a step back away from her, putting some distance between them. Guilt washed through her as her temper fizzled away. Way to go Evans, all he did was help you.

“Next time, I’ll let you fall on your face, shall I?” He asked her pointedly, making to walk past her and not give her a second glance.

Before she’d even thought about it, her fingers had reached out and closed around his wrist as he walked passed by. “Wait,” she said.

Pausing, Bellamy shot a cool glare at where she was holding him, before meeting her eyes. Alex dropped his wrist like it had burned her.

“I’m sorry,” she began, her gaze falling to the side as she spoke, “I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just...it’s been a long day - with...everything that happened,” she rubbed her face, not able to find the words she wanted to say. Being tired wasn’t exactly an excuse when he had been through the same thing as her. “I’m sorry.” She repeated meekly, unable to meet his gaze.

When warm fingers brushed across the back of her hand, she glanced up at him in surprise. He hadn’t moved, still staring down at her, but as he met her eyes his expression softened and he dropped his hand back to his side.

“It was an eventful day.” Bellamy summarized for her, giving her an understanding look.

Alex huffed a laugh at his understatement, a quirk of a smile tugging at her lips. “That it was.” She agreed with a nod. They stood quietly for a moment, silence settling between them, and she realized that it wasn’t as strained or uncomfortable as it used to be. Before today’s chaos, things had always been tense between them.

Wells was right, something had changed between them.

“I should go,” she said after a moment, and he nodded, but she hesitated to leave, “Hey...Bellamy?” She called out tentatively before he could leave. He turned to face her once more, looking patient. “Thanks - for today.” She told him, her gaze sincere as she met his dark eyes.

He didn’t ask her what she was thanking him for, merely studying her, eyes darting between her own before his lips quirked up into a small smirk. “Get some rest, Evans.” He told her gently, before turning away from her and making his way to the dropship.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Alex ducked into her tent and collapsed onto the parachute covered pile of leaves she called a bed, she was beyond exhausted. Unable to bring herself to kick off her boots, she decided she may as well just sleep with them on. She would only have to put them on tomorrow anyways. 

When Jemma snorted in her sleep, Alex felt an amused smile tug at her lips, before she leaned up to look over at the corner that her and Charlotte shared. But as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized Jemma was the only other person in the tent. Charlotte was gone.

Leaning up onto her elbows, Alex stared into the darkness in disbelief, wanting to groan in frustration. Why couldn’t the girl just stay where she was supposed to be?

For a second, Alex debated getting up and looking for her, but quickly pushed the thought to the side, too exhausted to move.

She probably decided to sleep in Harper’s tent for the night.

Besides, Charlotte had been acting weird from the moments they’d arrived back in camp.

It’s been a stressful day. She probably just needs some space to sort everything out. When she’s ready to talk she’ll come let you know. She told herself.

With that final thought of reassurance, Alex nodded to herself, letting herself drop back onto her ‘blanket’.

Maybe Wells is right - maybe tomorrow things will start getting better.


	18. Chapter 18

Alex woke with a start, unsure if the chills that ran through her body or the terrified scream that pierced the air had snapped her back to reality. Whatever the cause, Wells had been very, very wrong. Things were clearly not going to get better.

Hairs standing on end even as her heart leapt into her throat, Alex was up and on her feet before she was fully awake, the handle of her blade clutched tightly in hand, raised defensively before her. Mind still sluggishly trying to process her surroundings, she blinked blearily at the far side of the tent, trying to figure out where the scream had come from. Thankfully not from the inside of their tent, but she knew whoever screamed couldn’t be too far away.

Eyes darting to the sleeping area that Charlotte and Jemma shared, she found Jemma sitting up in bed, her eyes wide and fearful as she stared back at her, back ramrod straight. Her blanket clutched tightly in front of her as if at any moment she would duck down and pull it over her head. Alex remembers doing the same thing when she was younger, believing the thing material would provide some sort of protection. It was a naive belief to have.

Charlotte was nowhere in sight.

Dammit.

A surge of adrenaline followed quickly by a spike of worry and frustration wiped any remaining tiredness from her body and she was suddenly wide-awake, her mind racing a mile a minute.

Were they under attack? Who’d screamed?

In the wake of the ear-piercing scream, the camps early morning silence seemed to explode into chaos. People began scrambling around and hurrying by the outside of their tent, questions fired across camp as people tried to figure out what was going on. Alex realized she could hear Bellamy distantly shouting out, demanding to know what happened.

“Who...who was that?” Jemma whispered finally, hesitantly. 

“I-I don’t know,” Alex told her, voice uncertain as her ears strained to catch any snippet of conversation that would give her some clue as to what had happened. When nothing immediately became apparent, other than the fact that everyone outside seemed to be just as confused as she was, she knew she needed to get Jemma to safety and find Charlotte before she could see what the hell was happening. The tent wouldn’t offer them any protection.

She needed to find Charlotte and make sure she was okay.

Mind made up about what she was going to do, Alex turned to Jemma. “Come on,” she said, crouching down and helping Jemma tug her boots on before lifting her to her feet. “I want you to go to the dropship and stay there….Just in case.” She told the younger girl seriously.

Just in case of what?

Jemma nodded up at her, not asking the question that neither of them knew the answer to. Her brown eyes were wide as she reached out and grasped her hand, which Alex squeezed firmly in her own. Girl in one hand, blade held tightly in the other, Alex lead them out of the tent and out into the early morning light.

The sun had barely begun peeking over the distant mountains, it’s rays casting the tips of the trees in a bright orange glow, as if they were catching fire, though little streamed through to the underbrush where the dropship resided.

A small crowd gathered in the middle of camp, chatting amongst themselves, some looking around, weapons in hand, looking for any sign of trouble. Around her, other teens poked their heads out of their tents, a few gathering at the entrance of the dropship. All of them looking confused, wary and frightened.

Alex desperately looked around for familiar faces, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn’t see any of her friends. Though the group in the center of camp didn’t move, they turned to face one direction, and she wondered what they were looking at. Focusing her senses, she tried to see what they were staring at, but couldn’t see anything. But she could hear something faint.

Someone’s crying? 

Feeling her throat go dry, Alex looked down at Jemma. “Go to the dropship. Stay there until someone tells you it’s safe to come back out, alright?” She told her, letting go of her hand giving her a gentle push in that direction. Jemma nodded quickly up at her before dashing away, Alex watching her go. The young girl shot her one last worried glance as she hurried up the ramp and ducked through the thin material that covered the dropship entrance.

Once Jemma was in the only place that could be considered even remotely safe, Alex turned and began to make her way towards the crying, wondering who it was and what had happened. Her stomach twisted and turned, despite her attempts at calming it. Where was Wells when she needed him?

It doesn’t make any sense that the grounders would attack us, she thought, Maybe Murphy? But the scream hadn’t sounded like that of someone being attacked. She knew that, deep down. It was a scream of shock, the sound someone makes when they found something terrifying.

A couple of sleepy delinquents stumbled out of their tents, getting in her way as she tried to move in the direction the scream had come from. Following her lead, several of the others moving in behind her. Maybe it was an instinctual thing, knowing that they were safer in a group, instead of walking alone.

A handful of people had gathered at the ridge, only a few glancing back at her and the others as they arrived, before returning their gaze to the ground before them.

Coming up behind them, she began to hear the words interspersed in the sobs.

“I-I found him...he was just like this! He...he was already d-dead.” The girl sobbed, voice quivering.

What?

Stomach sinking at the words, Alex pushed passed several people and wove her way through the crowd. What is she talking about? Who’s dead?!

When a hand grasped her upper arm and pulled her to a stop, she whirled around to face the culprit, looking up to meet dark brown eyes under his well worn beanie.

“Nate - what?” She frowned up at him, beyond confused. He looked wary and shocked, the expression on his face sending her stomach plummeting down through her feet. “What’s going on? What happened?” She demanded.

He hesitated, before slowly shaking his head, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to say that words. Narrowing her eyes up at him, she yanked her arm away and he let her go. He made an aborted motion, as if he was going to reach for her again. 

He didn’t.

She knew. She knew from his face, his expression, and his posture, that something bad - something terrible - had happened. She could still read him like a book, even after all this time.

Stepping away from him, she took a shaky breath as she turned away. She had to know. She needed to know.

Moving around the remaining people, she clenched her fists tightly at her sides to stop the sudden shaking that has overcome them. Then suddenly she was standing at the front of the group, staring at forested area in front of her.

You know...you already know…

A shaky breath left her as her eyes landed on Fox, who was sitting on her knees, heels of her palms pressed tightly against her eyes as her shoulders shook with sobs. Bellamy was knelt next to her, one hand on her shoulder as he talked to her.

She could see his lips moving but she couldn’t hear any of the words he was saying, her head filled only with the sound of her shaky breathing. Her heart beat echoing in her head.

You were here just last night…you were sitting right there.

But she couldn’t see. She couldn’t make herself look.

She knew what - who - she would see if she did.

Bellamy seemed to sense her gaze, because he turned head her way, his eyes leaping up to meet her own. He looked startled to see her, before his expression slid to one of worry and he lurched to his feet. Moving towards her, arm stretched out between them as if to ward her away.

He came to stand in front of her, standing almost too close. Her gaze was trapped in his own and she couldn’t make herself look away.

“Alex,” he began, voice strained. He opened and closed his mouth a few more times looking unsure of what to say. Reaching out, he placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to nudge her away. “You...you shouldn’t be here.” He told her softly.

Her face crumpled and her vision blurred.

She knew. Oh, she knew.

Closing her eyes, she took a shuddering breath, trying to push back on the flood of emotions that threatened to drown her. You don’t know anything yet. It might not be what you think.

Clenching her jaw she steeled herself and looked up to meet Bellamy’s worried gaze.

“I need-” she choked out, her throat closing up. “I need to see,” she told him. When he hesitated, looking as if he was trying to find something to say, she cut him off. “Please.”

He searched her face, looking like he realized that he couldn’t stop her from doing this. That he shouldn’t. Giving her shoulders a squeeze, he nodded before stepping off too her side. Although he didn’t go far, she could feel his warmth at her shoulder.

For a second, her feet wouldn’t obey her, she couldn’t make herself step forward.

You. need. To know.

She took a hesitant step. Then another. Her gaze sliding along the forest floor. Sliding past Fox, who was sitting only a few meters away, gazing up at her with red, watery eyes. Trailing over the litter and moss that covered the ground beneath her.

Dragging her gaze up, her eyes landed on the one thing she never wanted to see.

No no no!

“Wells…” She choked out, her throat cutting off as she stumbled; all the energy gone from her legs. Reaching out blindly, she caught herself on a nearby tree, fingers digging painfully into the bark. But she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the sight in front of her.

Wells was lying on his side, half way down the embankment they’d been sitting on the previous night. One hand stretched out to one side, reaching for something just out of his grasp, his other clasped against the side of his neck, the blood that had slipped between his fingers a rusty red. 

The entire lower half of his previously white shirt now stained a dark brown instead of the crimson shade of fresh blood, the ground below him a similar colour. The blood had time to dry.

He’d been dead for awhile.

The way his eyes stared out blankly before him, wide and full of terror, his mouth stained red where he’d probably called for help. He looked like he’d seen the culprit. He’d seen his killer.

She let out a pained moan as she slid down the tree, before the first sob escaped her. Pressing her mouth into her sleeve of her jacket, her eyes clenched shut as she fought off the next one that threatened to escape. She failed to stop it.

How is this possible?! You were here last night! You were fine….You were fine.

A warm hand settled between her shoulder blades, tracing slow, soothing circles. She didn’t need to look to see who it was.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, braced against a tree before she slowly regained her breath, her sobs fading into small hiccups and sniffles. Eyes closed, she kept her face pressed into her arm, not wanting to look up and face the reality that this wasn’t some sort of nightmare.

“I’m sorry,” Bellamy said softly to her once she’d calmed down. He was crouched next to her, his hand still on her back. “I -I know you guys were close.”

He and Wells may not have gotten along, but Alex could still hear the sincerity in his voice.

Taking a shaky breath, she sat up, rubbing away the tears with the back of her hand and turned to lean her back against the tree, facing Bellamy. Away from Wells body.

Swallowing, she couldn’t bring herself to meet Bellamy’s gaze.

“Who?” She croaked out, “Who would do this? I mean, he-” her voice cracked, “he was fine last night.”

“Grounders,” he said coolly, and her gaze snapped up to see his features darkening. “They must have snuck into camp last night.”

“But….” Her voice wavered.

But I was right there. He was fine when I left. He was fine. I should have stayed.

Anger flared through her. She was angry - with Wells staying out of sight of camp during watch. At the Grounders - how dare they sneak into camp and kill Wells. Wells, who was one of the only people who treated her like a friend.

But most of all, she was angry at herself.

If she’d stayed last night, if she’d ignored her selfish need to get some sleep, when Wells had probably been just as tired, if she’d been here to watch his back…. he might still be alive.

If. If. If. If means nothing here. There is nothing you can do to change this.

“Hey,” Bellamy’s hard voice cut through her thoughts. He leaned down to make sure he had her eye contact. “It’s not your fault.”

Her gaze fell away. “But I was right there.” She waved a hand out towards Wells body, although she couldn’t bring herself to look in that direction. “If I had stayed, Wells would be alive.”

“If you had stayed, you would probably be dead,” he replied bluntly and she flinched back. Seeing her reaction he sighed and tried with a more gentle tone. “Look, I know…” But as he began, another voice drifted over to them, and she felt like ice had run through her veins.

“What’s going on?” 

Oh no! Clarke.

Alex was back on her feet and stumbling towards the other girl before she knew what she was doing, Bellamy lurching out of her way in surprise as she moved. She couldn’t let Clarke find out like this. Not like this.

Clarke paused at the sight of her, giving her a confused and concerned look, her gaze jumping all over her face, taking in her blotchy face and red eyes. Alex was fairly sure that is was obvious that she’d been crying.

“Alex?” Clarke said hesitantly as she came to a stop in front of her. “What’s going on?” She asked slowly, looking away from her and peering back at the crowd behind her, looking unsure what to make of the situation.

Alex took a shaky breath and opened her mouth to tell Clarke that her childhood best friend - the person who she’d just reconciled with yesterday - was lying dead not even ten feet away from her. That someone - Grounders - had snuck up and stabbed him in the neck. That he had bled out alone in the middle of the night. That she should have been there to help him. But she couldn’t find the words.

It should have been easy; there were only three words to say.

Wells is dead.

But she couldn’t.

Staring at Clarke, she could hear Bellamy in the background beginning to order those standing around to get on with their day, to keep building the wall. That there was nothing to see here. For a second, a shot of gratitude went through her at his consideration. Clarke didn’t need an audience when she found out. It would be tough enough to deal with without the prying eyes.

As the crowd began to disperse, and Harper stepped in to pull Fox away, she cleared her throat, trying again. “Clarke. Something happened.” She began, internally wincing at how stupid that sounded.

Clarke narrowed her eyes at her and tilted her head slightly to the side, as if trying to puzzle out her words.

‘Something happened’? Are you serious? She scoffed at herself. ‘Something happened’ is what you say when you’re explaining anything else. Not how you being a conversation where you tell someone that her best friend is dead.

But they were the only words she had, so they tumbled out of her mouth before she could take them back. “Something happened to Wells.”

Clarke was staring at her as if she’d grown two heads, eyes wide “What? What are you talking about? Is he okay?” Worry had begun to creep into her voice.

Alex slow shook her head, tears building once more. With a quiver of her lips, she replied. “No Clarke. Wells isn’t okay.” She said softly.

Clarke looked unsure of what she was saying and stumbled towards her, grasping at her shoulders. “What - what do you mean he’s not okay?” Her voice rose in panic. “Alex. Where is he? Whe-” She cut off, her breath hitching as her blue eyes landed on something just over her right shoulder.

“No…” Clarke gasped out, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth as she stumbled to the side. Alex lurched after her in a panic, fearing the other girl might collapse and grasped her shoulders to keep her upright. But the other girl’s eyes were locked on Well’s motionless form. “No no nonono,” Clarke whimpered, shaking her head, her eyes filling with tears.

Alex felt herself tear up and pulled the other girl into a hug, Clarke collapsing against her like all the muscles in her body had given out. She folded her legs under her, allowing them both to drop slowly to the forest floor. Clarke choked on her first sob, and gripped Alex’s jacket, burying her face in her shoulder.

Alex could only hold her tightly, as the other girl sobbed into her chest. Movement caught her eyes, and she glanced up to meet Bellamy’s eyes. He glanced away almost immediately, but she hadn’t missed the sorrowful shine in his eyes. Alex closed her own, pressing her cheek onto the top of Clarke’s head, listening to her muffled cries.

She wanted to join in, but she knew she couldn’t. Both she and Clarke couldn’t be a mess at the same time. Clarke deserved this cry more than anyone else. Her best friend was suddenly gone, and Alex knew how that felt better than most.

As she listened to Clarke’s sobbing, she realized the sorrow didn’t seem to be restricted to just them. Several others were crying as well, just soft sniffs and hitched breaths which gave them away. There was something different about Wells death and she wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t exactly popular. Despite that, the mood around them filled with emotions. Sadness. Anger. Shock.

Somehow they were briefly united under by a common feeling: grief.

Maybe Wells was right. Maybe things would get better.

But if the cost of unity was the life of her friends, Alex wasn’t so sure she was willing to pay.


	19. Chapter 19

“In peace, may you leave this shore.  
In love, may you find the next.  
Safe passage on your travels, until our final journey to the ground.  
May we meet again.”

-The Traveler's Blessing 

The burning behind her eyes had long since faded into a dull, tired ache. Her body unable to produce any more tears even as she watched Wells slowly disappeared beneath each shovelful of dirt, further cementing the fact that he was gone. 

He was dead. He wasn’t coming back.

The thoughts seemed to turn over and over in her head. How had it only been the night before that she’d seen him alive and well? Hadn’t they smiled and teased one another, thinking that things were only going to get better from now on? 

Something clenched painfully in her chest, momentarily shattering the hollowness that had taken over when she first laid eyes on him hours beforehand. 

If only she’d stayed with him. She should have been there for him when he needed her the most. But no, she been tired. So she’d left him on his own at the edge of camp, knowing that the area around them was dangerous. 

Now he was dead.

Gritting her teeth, her fists clenched tightly at her sides as a wave of self-loathing washed through her.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood in front of his grave, now the fourth in the row of their dead. She felt disconnected. Numb to the world. Those that had shown up to pay their respects blurred around her, their words sounding far off, like they were standing on the other end of a long corridor. She could hear them talk, but she couldn’t make out the words being said. She was sure someone recited the Traveler’s Blessing, and then those who’d shown up slowly began drifting away until only a few remained.

Movement on the other side of the freshly covered grave caught her attention, and she forced her tired eyes to look up, only to land on Clarke. The blonde girl clutched Finn’s arm as if her life depended on it, her eyes red and puffy, her face wet with tears. Alex could only watch how Finn held her tightly in response to her distress, whispering words of comfort into her ear. 

Alex was unprepared for the unexpected feeling of annoyance that welled up inside her. Here was Clarke acting as if Wells meant the world to her, gaining sympathy she didn’t deserve. She’d treated him poorly, ignoring him, told him she hated him and that he meant nothing to her. She’d been treating him like shit from the moment they’d landed. And here she was, crying as if they’d been as close as ever.

‘No,’ she forced the feeling back, knowing she was wrong about Clarke. ‘They’d finally began sorting their shit out. They were talking again; things were getting better between them. She has just as much a right to cry over him as you do...Maybe even more. They were friends long before you came along.’ 

‘He was alive until you came along,’ a cynical voice added, and her breath caught in her throat before she could shove the thought down, down, down, where she could ignore the painful truth behind it.

For a moment, she allowed her eyes to slide closed, taking a deep breath before opening them again, finally taking note of the few who were still standing nearby. Besides herself and Clarke, there were others who lingered. Monty stood awkwardly behind Clarke and Finn, wringing his hands tightly, eyes darting back to the dropship where Jasper still lay, clearly showing where he’d rather be. To his left, Harper stood silently, eyes red as she stared down at the grave, Jemma clutching her hand tightly. The younger girl looked uncertain, afraid, like she didn’t know what to make of the situation. 

Alex couldn’t bring herself to care that Charlotte was nowhere in sight.

There were a few others who lingered around the edge of the clearing, some looking awkward, but at least making an effort to show up and pay their respects. A couple of the younger teens, who Alex vaguely recalled as Sterling, Monroe and Diggs, peered down from around the side of a tree. Even Octavia and Roma made passing appearances, pausing at the edge before turning back the way they’d come.

Sadness washed over her when her gaze landed on Nate, who stood towards the back of the crowd. As if sensing her stare, he glanced up and met her eyes, his expression somber. Although he watched her, he made no move towards her, no sign of offering her any form of comfort. The only movement he made was fidgeting with his beanie, which he held between his fingers, tugging at the loose threads. Nothing changed in his expression as he eyed her, but Alex couldn’t help remember how he’d tried to protector her from seeing Wells’ body, to shield her from seeing her friend in such a state. He’d been her friend for years... they’d grown up together. He’d seen her at her best...and at her worst. They’d shared laughs and tears. They’d slept over at each other's houses and pulled pranks on Liam when he didn’t keep a wary eye out. They’d spent hours in a ViewBay, dreaming of adventures they share on Earth. 

The three of them had been inseparable. The Terrible Trio. Then things had gone so, so wrong.

Maybe if she tried again to explain to him that she hadn’t hurt Liam. That the whole thing was a terrible mistake, he would hear her out. Maybe they could work on going back to the way things were.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

Those thoughts were dashed away when his eyes hardened and he turned away, the action furthering cementing the ache in her chest.

...Maybe Liam had been the only thing holding them together, and without him here they had nothing between them. Maybe whatever they’d had was too broken to be repaired. 

It hurt her more than she’d thought it would as she realized that her best friend was gone.

Liam, Nate, Wells... that’s your curse. Poor Alex, doomed to be alone. After all, why would anyone want to be your friend when they always end up getting hurt? Or worse?

Her fists clenched at the thought, fingernails digging painfully into her palms.

A hand rested on her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. She tensed, annoyance and despair battling through her. How could she deserve comfort when she seemed to be the cause of it all? Turning her head, she was startled to meet Bellamy’s brown eyes and it took all her strength not to let it show on her face. She couldn’t read his expression, which was unusually blank... Or was it calculating? Then, even as she watched, his expression softened and her throat clenching painfully in response. 

For a second she was completely overwhelmed with emotion, and her sight blurred, breath catching in her chest. Turning away from him so he wouldn’t see the anguish on her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath, followed by another, until the pounding of her heart returned to a normal level, and the pain in her chest subsided into something manageable. Something she could shove back and add it to the pile of things she couldn’t deal with right now. Wouldn’t deal with right now.

Seeing her reaction, he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, before dropping his hand to his side and turning away. No words passed between them, but it brought her a slight sense of comfort. She watched him move away out of the corner of her eye, following the footsteps of some of the other delinquents as they began heading back towards the dropship, leaving only Alex, Clarke and a few others to stand in silence. 

Eventually even an exhausted looking Clarke was guided away by Finn, who kept her tightly pressed to his side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as they went, Clarke’s sniffles filling the air until she could no longer hear them.

Then she was alone.

Alone with her thoughts. Her head filled with questions that she had no way to answer.

Why didn’t he call for help? Fight back? How had nobody heard anything? 

...Why did I leave him alone?

Self loathing spiked through her like a hot wire before dissipating entirely, leaving only a heavy weight around her shoulders and a hollow feeling in her chest, with the knowledge that if she’d stayed with her friend the night before, he would still be alive.

The grave in front of her blurred, and she let her eyes slide closed, willing away the burn of tears. 

“God, Wells, I’m sorry,” she choked out around the lump in her throat, pressing her hands to her mouth. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Saying you’re sorry isn’t going to bring him back. Her mind told her. It didn’t help Liam, and it certainly didn’t help Wells. Now get up, stop snivelling and get to work.

She took a deep breath, then another, forcing back the overwhelming emotions until only a bone-weary tiredness remained.

With one last look at the fresh mound of soil that now covered Wells, Alex forced herself to turn away.

There was nothing she could do for Wells now.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few days passed in a blur.

Alex did everything she could to keep herself busy, to keep her mind occupied, ignoring everyone and everything around her in the process. She hunted for meat, picked berries and gathered wood, hoping to work herself to the point of exhaustion, so that when she finally allowed herself drop onto her self-made mattress, she could only pray that her mind was too worn out to be plagued by nightmares. 

But her weariness did little to help, and her dreams were often plagued by dark, menacing figures. Some she recognized from long ago, others were fresher. Newer. And although none of them ever said a word, accusation and betrayal and regret sat upon their faces as they stared down at her cowering form. Their accusations were clear, like a cold knife in her chest. She had done this to them. She had hurt them...she had killed them.

So she did her best to keep busy, hoping her bone-tired body would keep them away.

The atmosphere around camp had changed completely in a matter of days. The high that had come from being on the ground, living on Earth, had completely dissipated, replaced instead by a fear for their survival. They had been on there for eight days - eight days - and already there were four people dead, six, if they counted Trina and Pascal, who hadn’t been heard from since shortly after they’d landed.

The delinquents were understandably scared. Would more of them be dead in another five days? How were they going to continue surviving if they were dropping like flies? It felt like everyday they were discovering something else that could easily kill them. How were they going to survive when they were surrounded by a new, dangerous world and had no way of escaping it?

The groups worry and fear had taken the form of low whispers and wary glances. Guard duty had gone from being a nightly endeavor, to full time day rotations. No one was to go out of camp on their own, and everyone was encouraged to walk with at least two others at all times. With the revelation that the Grounders were out there and were more than willing to come to camp to kill one of their own had the delinquents realizing how truly defenceless they really were. When would the Grounders come back? Would they come back? How could they stop something inevitable like that? They had nothing. No weapons. No defenses. 

Bellamy was quick to the opportunity and make the most of the situation, using the delinquents fears to his advantage. He was divided up the delinquents into different groups, assigning them various responsibilities. Some would gather food and fill water containers. The rest would begin gathering logs. His planning was calculated and efficient. And if Alex had had the energy to care, she would have probably been impressed.

The wall that they’d been slowly working on for the past couple of days was now the group's number one priority. They had to get it done as quickly as possible. 

The sooner it’s up, the sooner we have something to hide behind. Alex had thought bitterly.

Saws made of serrated metal - pieces broken off from the dropship - were handed out, and Alex was quick to grab one of her own before taking off into the forest, moving away from the mass of teenagers who spread out looking for suitable looking trees for the wall. She knew it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, that she should keep close to the others, where there were safety in numbers and someone would always be around to watch her back. But she didn’t care. Not right now.

She needed space. She wanted to be alone.

When she was far enough from the group so that she could only hear the distant chatter from the dropship, she began looking around, her gaze flickering from tree to tree, intent on keeping her mind busy, her hands busy. The tree she was looking for needed to be big enough to be useful, yet small enough that she could drag it back to the drop ship on her own. Grey eyes landing on a midsized tree a few strides away from where she was standing, she knew she’d found it.

Adjusting the sharp strip of metal in hand, Alex narrowed her eyes, gritting her teeth and set to work.

Over the next couple of hours Alex managed to cut down a few trees, before slowly dragging them back to the edge of camp on her own, handing them off to those putting the pieces of the wall together, then darting back off into the forest. Each one left her panting for breath, unused to the activity, and the ache of her muscles distracted her, giving her something else to focus on. She pointedly ignored the stinging blisters that were slowly blooming across the heel of her palm.

The pain as the bark dug into the tender flesh was a reminder that she was still alive. Wells was not.

Each time she ventured further and further away from the safety of the dropship. A simple thought settled into the back of her mind...What if she ran into Grounders? They might be dangerous, but so was she. Maybe she’d be lucky enough to catch Wells’ killer and bring the justice he deserved. 

Why did they do it? Why target one of the honest-to-god good people in the group? He hadn’t done anything to them. She paused to take a steadying breath, hand clenching painfully around the saw. He hadn’t even committed a crime to get on the dropship! He’d done the bare minimum to get on the dropship...to be with his best friend. To be with Clarke. He didn’t deserve this...He didn’t deserve any of it…. She thought morosely.

Despite doing her best to keep an eye out, she didn’t see any sign of anyone else in the area. No delinquents. No Grounders. The area was quiet. But after seeing how well those Grounders had blended into their surroundings by the river, she knew it was possible they were watching her and she wouldn’t have a clue. Not unless they wanted her to. 

Cowards. The bitter thought brought a scowl to her face as she marched through the bush. She didn’t know if she felt relieved or disappointed when nobody appeared.

Finally approaching one of slow growing sections of wall where some of the others had been stacking the logs using mud and smaller branches to wedge the bigger pieces into place - she allowed the log that she’d been dragging to finally drop to the soaked mossy floor. 

With a huff she cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen her tired and aching muscles, her exhaustion finally seeming to catch up to her. But as much as she wanted to rest, to sleep the day, she knew she couldn’t. Not yet. If she stopped to think, stopped to rest, then her brain would take her places she didn’t want to go.

So she continued working. Forcing her body to the point of exhaustion.

Sometime in the afternoon, the dark clouds that had rumbled overhead eventually let loose, and the downpour that resulted scattered many of the delinquents back into their tents and into the dropship, leaving the forest only eerily quiet around her. Only a few of the older teens stayed outside to keep working. 

Alex relished the feeling of the rain on her skin. The large, cool drops washed away some of the grime and sweat she’d accumulated over the past few days. It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes for her to be drenched to the bone, her clothes sticking to her like a second layer of skin. Eventually, her hair plastered to her head uncomfortably, stands sticking to her forehead uncomfortable. Wiping her hand across her face in an effort to push them away, she immediately regretted the motion when the blister on her palm came in contact with her sweat covered skin. Freezing at the sharp sting of pain, she sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, before releasing it slowly in a hiss.

Dammit.

Eyeing her hand, she noted that the blister had finally split, a thin, white strip of skin peeled away, attached only on one side, leaving the raw, red layer underneath exposed. Alex grimaced at the dirt that had already made its way into the cut and tucked her hand out of sight, distantly wishing that the Ark had sent them down with a first aid pack of some sort so she wouldn’t have to deal with some nasty type of infection. 

Ha, she scoffed. Yeah, right. If the cut was going to follow the downward spiral of her life, she was bound to get some deadly infection from Earth…

Lost in her thoughts, she completely missed the footsteps approaching her from behind, so when she turned around ready to head out again, she was thoroughly unprepared for the shoulder that bulldozed into her own. The force of the blow sent her staggering back, her heels catching on the log she’d just dropped off, and she crashed painfully on the ground, landing hard on her hip. Burning pain shot through her blistered hand as she tried to protect herself from the fall. The serrated metal she’d been carrying tumbled out of her hand and into nearby bushes.

Her exhaustion fled from her mind as adrenaline spiked through her. She hadn’t heard anyone approaching! What if Grounders had come while everyone was hiding away in the dropship, making the most of the fact that she was alone and separated from the rest of the group? 

But when her head snapped up to see who’d shoved her, she only found Jones and Mbege - two of Murphy’s goons - standing over her, staring down at her wearing identical amused leers. Jones was carrying a bundle of branches under one arm, and both were drenched to the bone, droplets of water trickling down their faces.

A combination of relief and wariness washed through her. While it wasn’t Grounders, the two of them approaching her couldn’t be a sign of anything good.

But these two you can deal with. Her mind supplied calmly. It’s Murphy you need to watch out for.

Hackles instantly rising, Alex looked passed them, searching for their rat-faced leader, but fortunately for her, Murphy was nowhere to be seen. She should have felt some sort of relief at the knowledge, but it was hardly a comfort with two of his followers standing over her.

“Alright down there, Evans?” Jones asked, cocking his head to one side, his voice dripping with fake concern, as if he hadn’t been the one to put her down there in the first place. “You should really watch where you’re walking, you wouldn’t want to trip and hurt yourself.”

“Especially when you’re all alone. You never know who you could encounter out here,” Mbege added with a smirk, taking a step towards her. 

Not about to let them get any closer while she was flat on her back, she ignored the sharp sting of her palm and shoved herself into a crouch, before pushing herself to her feet, making sure to stand tall, and keeping her back turned away from them.

Don’t show fear. Keep your anger in check. They’ll only use it against you if you don’t.

She eyed them with a scowl, noting that they were standing between her and the way back to the dropship - between her and help. Even if you shout for help, there’s no guarantee that anyone will hear you, they’re all hiding out in the dropship. You’re on your own. Taking a small breath, she reined in her temper, figuring that the best way to deal with the two would be to talk her way out of it.

“What do you want?” she asked them bluntly, shifting, feeling the mossy ground squishing beneath her feet. While she eyed both of them, but focused mostly on Mbege, the closer of the two. He was close enough that she wasn’t sure she could make it to the knife in her boot before he was on her. “Shouldn’t you be licking Murphy’s boots? I’m sure he’s looking for you.”

They shared an amused look, as if they knew she was going to try to talk herself out of it. 

“Nah, he’s busy,” Jones shrugged, giving her a cold smile. “We were just passing by and wanted to make sure you were okay, you know, with your boyfriend now being dead and all. Murphy seemed to think you might need some consoling, if we happened to come across you,” he continued, setting down the branches he’d been carrying, his eyes raking over her body. “How ‘bout it, Evans? Want me to console you?” He stepped toward her.

Don’t let them get to you. You react and you’ll give them exactly what they’re looking for.

Even though her hairs stood on end at his leer, her blood boiled at the mention of Wells. Nails dug painfully into the tender skin of her palm. Her glare darkened. “I’m only going to warn you once - back off,” she snapped, body tensing, ready to fight if she needed to.

“Huh - what do ya know? “ Mbege cocked his head, eyeing her before giving a nasty smirk. “Maybe you’re not that sad… After all, isn’t this exactly what happened to your last boyfriend? Mysteriously stabbed in the night? Was that what happened - you’d had enough of Jaha and decide to get rid of him too?”

The accusation should have hit her like a blow to the gut. His words were meant to hurt, aimed to damage. So she flinched. But not because of the sting the words brought, but because his words echoed her own thoughts. She was the common denominator. Even Mbege could see it.

Liam...Wells… their lives would have been different if you weren’t in it. Maybe you do more damage than good.

The two guys infront of her seemed unaware of her inner conflict, because Jones laughed like what Mbege had said was hilarious. “Shit, maybe I wouldn’t fuck you after all. Who knows...I’d probably be the next found dead!”

Mbege clapped Jones on the back and smirked at him. “What’s this - got nothing to say, Evans? Not even going to deny it?” he frowned at her in amusement. “Although I guess she really did us a favour with Jaha. No real loss, since nobody actually liked that shit anyway.” 

Shoving back the pain, a snarl crosses her face as she glared at them. “Shut. Up!” she snapped, fury and hurt running through her veins.

“Ohhh, she speaks!” Jones laughed, mockingly. “I thought for a moment you’d gone mute on us. Which would be a fucking shame... I was really looking forward to hearing some details,” he jeered, leaning towards her almost conspiratorially, putting a hand to his ear as if he expected her to share a secret. “So tell me...did Jaha scream like a girl when you sunk his knife into his neck?”

A scream of rage building in her chest, she stepped towards him, fists clenched, fully determined to break something. His nose, his whole fucking face. Fuck the consequences. 

She hadn’t taken more than a step forward before she was interrupted.

“Hey!” A deep voice barked from somewhere to her left, one that Alex instantly recognized as Bellamy’s. “What’s the hell’s going on here?” 

Although she halted her advance towards the two, Alex barely spared Bellamy a glance, keeping her eyes instead on Jones and Mbege, wary that if she turned her back, they could use it to their advantage. But she couldn’t help the overwhelming feeling of relief she felt at Bellamy’s arrival, his presence cooling some of the hot rage that had built up inside her. 

Things hadn’t been as tense between them lately, not like when they’d first landed. Something had changed between them during the time they’d spent in the cave. He’d helped her without question when she’d needed it. Although she wouldn’t quite call it trust between them - she didn’t understand his motives enough for that, no further than he would do absolutely anything for his sister - but since they’d arrived on Earth, he’d saved her life more than a few times, which was something she could apparently rely on.

She wasn’t stupid enough to think that they were friends, or even allies. They merely shared similar views - protecting the younger kids in their group and keep surviving. But she knew that if anything she did threatened his sister's safety, they would be back to standing on opposite sides of the same line.

Even so, she would have Bellamy watch her back over these two anyday.

The two boys in front of her tensed at the sight of Bellamy’s incoming figure, who was striding towards them purposefully, arms laden with decent sized branches. Like everyone else, he was soaked to the bone, his dark hair plastered to his head, dark blue t-shirt fitting him like a second skin, doing nothing to hide the definition in his arms and shoulders. His jacket was nowhere in sight.

Dark eyes were fixed in a glower clearly directed at the two before her, although he briefly scanned her expression, eyes narrowing as he studied her. She momentarily met his gaze before looking away.

Jones and Mbege looked wary as they eyed Bellamy, as if not sure how to deal with him. It was clear that they respected his authority in the group, but Alex wondered if some of the animosity Murphy held towards Bellamy had tainted their perception of him. It wouldn’t surprise her at all. Murphy’s intense dislike for Bellamy and his lead in the group was as clear as day.

Then Jones expression eased into a friendly grin. “Bellamy!” he said in greeting, stepping towards the taller man, before waving a hand back towards her. “We were just having a friendly conversation with Evans here, just making sure that she’s alright with everything that’s happened and all.”

Liar.

“Oh, really?” Bellamy merely stared at the shorter man, expression unchanging as he cocked his head to one side. “Is that so?” he asked dryly.

Mbege nodded, stepping up to stand alongside his friend. “We were just wondering if she needed a shoulder to cry on, maybe some consoling, if you know what I mean.” He wiggled his eyebrows, looking impressed with himself, as if they were doing something that Bellamy would approve of.

Alex frowned, feeling slightly perplexed. Did they think that Bellamy would be happy about what they were doing?

Clearly, yes, Bellamy did know what they meant, and no, he did not look happy about it by the way his glare darkened while he stared at them.

Jones looked worried about the change in Bellamy’s expression, but before he could scramble to put together a reassuring answer, an evil idea popped into her head. Not giving them a chance to think any more she quickly spoke up. “Actually. When I told them I didn’t need a shoulder to cry on, they offered to help carry this tree for me,” she stated pointedly, motioning to the log behind her. 

The comment had the desired effect, Jones and Mbege’s head snapped around towards her, their eyes wide. Maybe they were still under the impression that her and Bellamy were on poor terms. Which was probably understandable, she realized, as pretty much every time her and Bellamy in the same place in front of the other delinquents, they were usually at each other's throats.

All three boys gave her looks bordering on disbelief, Bellamy’s the most skeptical of them all, although he gave her a slight quirk of his eyebrow, amusement flickering across his face. Clearly none of them had expected her to defend them.

“Right...Fine,” Bellamy said, turning back to the other two. Then he smirked, stepping towards Jones, the other boy flinching in response. “Since you were offering to be so helpful…” Bellamy continued, then shoved the branches he was carrying into the arms of the other boy, who staggered back in response, looking surprised. Then the smirk fell from Bellamy’s face and he glared at them. “Now get back to work!” he barked at them. “And I don’t want to see either of you slacking off, got it?”

Jones gave a hasty nod and hurried away, Mbege picking up the branches they’d dropped earlier and scurried after him, not before shooting a nasty look back their way. Then they disappeared out of sight. Leaving Alex and Bellamy alone, with nothing but uncomfortable silence between them.

Alex distantly wondered what they were going to tell Murphy, now that they’d seen Bellamy defend her.

“It’s not smart to be out here alone. You know there’s Grounders out here,” Bellamy finally stated pointedly, running a hand through rain soaked hair, pushing it out of his face as he eyed her, his expression hard to decipher. His voice had lost the edge it had taken when addressing the two other boys, instead replaced with something softer. Kinder. Something she didn’t care to think sounded like concern.

A scoff left her as she sank down onto the log behind her. The anger that had coursed through her at Mbege and Jones’ words evaporated from her body, leaving exhaustion in its wake. Her body felt heavy and shaky. Not for the first time she wished she could find somewhere she could just curl up and rest, somewhere where her sleep wouldn’t be haunted by nightmares. 

“What do you care?” she asked, tenderly prodding the raw patch of skin on her palm, eyes staring almost unseeingly at the ground beneath her. “Maybe if a couple more people disappeared, you’d have your wall up in a matter of hours,” she said with a downward twist of her lips, referring to the fact that Bellamy hadn’t wasted the opportunity in using Wells’ death to his advantage.

A pause. Then, “Don’t be stupid,” he shot at her.

Startled and offended at his incongruous comment, her head snapped up to meet his glare with one of her own. “Excuse me?”

He took a few steps towards where she was sitting before leaning on the tree across from her, hands shoved in his pant pockets as he stared down at her, eyes hard. “You heard me,” he replied, tone condescending. “Do you really think wandering around out here on your own, looking for Grounders, is going to help anybody?” he asked pointedly, eyebrows raised, giving her a knowing look.

Jaw clenched, Alex turned her head away from his gaze mulishly, knowing he was right, knowing that by being out here on her own was dangerous. Before she could open her mouth to defend herself, he barreled on.

“I get you want answers, and I get you are probably looking for some sort of revenge, but getting yourself killed isn’t going to do anyone any good,” he said. “Besides, what do you think Wells would say about what you’re doing.”

A sharp stab of pain shot through her chest at her friend's name, and this time when she glared up at Bellamy, there was anger in her gaze. “Don’t,” she bit out.

But Bellamy was unrepentant. “No, I think I will - you clearly need to hear this. Yes. Wells is dead. But being stupid and reckless isn’t going to bring him back.” He stared down at her. When she flinched, his face softened slightly and he sighed. Stepping forward he crouched in front of her, resting his forearms on his knees. “The group needs every last person we can get right now… Besides, what are Charlotte and Jemma going to do if you end up dead?”

She flinched, feeling struck, knowing once again that he was right. She wasn’t helping anyone by being reckless. If the group was going to survive they needed to stay together. To work together. Besides, if she became just another casualty, who would watch over Jemma and Charlotte?

For a moment, neither of them said a word.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself and her thoughts. Glancing up she frowned at him, “Why do you care?” She asked the question that had been bother her.

He eyed her for a moment before shrugging. “This isn’t about you, Evans. It’s about the bigger picture,” he answered truthfully, and she shot him a dry look in response. “Out of all the delinquents - if we ignore the past few days - you are one of the few who has a smart head on their shoulders... you work hard and you understand what we need to do to survive.” At her dubious look, he rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen you working tirelessly these last few days, Evans. Unlike Clarke, you are willing to get your hands dirty.” He eyed her, and she assumed he was looking at the purple bags that had probably settled around her eyes. “In fact, I have a feeling you haven’t even slept much either.”

At that, she shot him a dry look, “Really? What gave it away?” She drawled sarcastically, then continued, “I assume this isn’t a conversation you’re going to be having with Clarke then?”

He snorted. “No,” he answered flatly. “I don’t have time to hold the Princess's hand and get her to work. Besides, she’s already got Spacewalker fawning all over her,” he grimaced, looking disgusted, then pushed himself to his feet, head tilting back to check out the patches of clouds they could see through the treetops. She followed his gaze. 

The heavy rain had finally slowed down to a slow drizzle, although the clouds remained dark overhead. It would be a few more hours until sundown, but they would lose a lot of light as the sun began to duck behind the nearby mountains. 

Bellamy turned back to eye her, then stepped forward and extended a hand. Nodding his head back in the direction of the dropship, he giving her an expectant look. “Come on, let’s head back before it gets dark.”

She hesitated, then nodded, reaching out and grasping his hand, which enclosed her own snuggly before easily pulling her to her feet. Although she could feel the mud and grit on his skin from a hard day's work, his hand was still pleasantly warm in her own. He gave her a tug in the direction they were going to go before releasing her hand.

Wells wouldn’t want you to be like this, she thought firmly to herself, falling into step behind him. If you’re going to survive this, you need to get your head on straight. Think about Jemma. Think about Charlotte...And Nate.

Glancing up at the sky once more she paused.

Think about Liam.

\--------------------

As she trailed behind Bellamy on their way back to camp, her footsteps following his, Alex was lost in thought. Bellamy’s words had struck a chord within her. She knew that he had a point. She was hurting from Wells death. She had failed the one person down on Earth who had been nice to her, hadn’t looked at her differently because of her crime. But she couldn’t just think of herself. She needed to remember that there were others relying on her. Jemma. Charlotte. Both of them were so young. So innocent about the world around them. 

Be strong for them. Show them that we can survive here without needing to fear for our lives everyday. That we can make this work. That I’ll be there for them, she nodded to herself firmly even as she felt a pang of regret. She hadn’t been purposely ignoring them, but ever since Wells death she’d avoided interacting with anyone in the group...and she realized that unfortunately that included the two younger girls. But no more...no more running and hiding. I’ll find Charlotte and Jemma and apologize...We need to get our shit together if we’re going to survive here. I’ll show both of them how to defend themselves, what to do if they get attacked. I can’t put it off anymore, they need to know just as much as everyone else.

That was something she could do. Something she could focus on. 

Even though it hadn’t taken them long to get back to the dropship, the sun - which was somewhere behind the dark clouds above them - must have finally ducked behind the nearby mountains, throwing the forest around them into near darkness. Now that the rains had finished, many of the delinquents were trying to get the fires back up and running.

Catching sight of her tent she was unprepared by the yawn that overcame her and she paused at the edge of camp, realizing how tired she was.

Bellamy must have heard her stop, because her turned back to her, giving her a smirk when he caught her mid-yawn.

She shot him an unamused look. “What?”

He simply shook his head, smirk still in place. “Nothing,” he said, turning away and heading away from her. “I’m pretty sure I’ve already said it this week, but, get some sleep, Evans. You look like you’re going to keel over.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “That’s no way to compliment a lady,” she grumbled, indignantly.

He turned back to her and his smirk turned into a grin. “Well, Evans, you’ll know when I pay you a compliment.” He gave her a suggestive look, eyes trailing down her body then back up to her face, “And there’s lots to compliment,” he winked, then turned and walked away, sending a brief wave over his shoulder.

Blinking at his back, he was long gone when the blush had fully reached her face, tinting her cheeks red.

What...where did that come from?

Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she disregarded what Bellamy had just said as some trick from her exhausted mind.

Sleep. I just need sleep. Jemma and Charlotte can wait until tomorrow. 

Rubbing her hands tiredly over her face, she decided to skip dinner, consisting of whatever food the group had managed to gather over the day, and instead just head to her tent and go to sleep.

So that’s exactly what she did.

Entering her tent, she threw herself down on her ‘bed’, which she’d been avoiding for the past few days in favour of avoiding her own mind. Kicking off her boots, she zipped up her jacket for warmth and curled up under her blanket, which consisted of a section of parachute that had been folded up and stuffed full of leaves.

She’d been there for no more than a couple of minutes before she was fast asleep…

...and found herself wandering the corridors of the Ark, in a way she hadn’t done in years, since before her incarceration. The familiar metal halls were eerily silent around her, and she knew without thought that she was the only living being in the area.

So she walked. And walked. She visited places she hadn’t seen in a long time. Through the familiar halls of Go-Sci, where she’d spent a lot of her time. The Miller’s residence. The Kane’s residence. The Eden Tree.

She avoided the one place which she was supposed to have considered her ‘home’. She could smell the old woman’s sweat, that no perfume could mask. For a brief moment, she felt bony fingers wrap tightly around her arm, threatening to drag her into the dark. She reared back, shaking her head. Earth, her tent, was more of a home than the place she grew up in. She was never going back there. Not if that witch was still there.

As she continued wandering, she suddenly became aware of the feeling that someone was following her, like an itch on the back of her neck, causing the hairs on her body to stand on end. There was a presence at her back, but each time she turned to look, there was only shadows that moved out of the corner of her eyes, sent chills down her spine. Anytime she turned to face it, the halls behind her were empty.

‘Alex.’ A voice suddenly whispered in her ear, so close that she could feel it’s breath ghosting over her ear, moving over the skin of her cheek. 

With a startled scream, she whirled around, only to come nose to nose with a familiar face.

Shocked, she froze, staring in disbelief.

“Atom?” she asked, studying the dead boy who stood casually in front of her, his hand shoved deep into his pant pockets. His dark eyes stared at her unblinkingly. It was only when he cocked his head to the side and his lips curved into a cold smirk that she realized that the thing before her was not Atom, but merely a monster wearing his face. A terrified trembled washed through her and she stepped back. His grin only grew in response.

“Now, now,” ‘Atom’ said with a pout, taking a step towards her, clutching at his chest as if his heart ached. “That hurts. Is it something to do with my face?” He pointed a finger towards his cheek. “Maybe this one would be better?” he asked her, and before her eyes, his skin darkened, his face transforming until it was no longer Atom. 

It was Wells.

A pained moan escaped her at the sight and she brought up her hands to hold back the sob that threatened to escape her.

“Why?” he demanded angrily, fists curled at his sides as he took a menacing step towards her. “Why did you do this to us, Alex?” He spat her name like a curse.

She only took another step back before her back touched the freezing metal wall behind her. She could only cower back as he towered over her, anger radiating from his skin like heat, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Wells. God, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t there when you needed me,” she said, allowing herself to slide down the wall, her hands covering her face as she cried.

For a moment he said nothing, then: “We know,” he said softly, soothingly.

Her sobs froze in her chest at the familiar voice, a voice she knew better than any other. Head snapping, she peered up through her fingers at the person crouched before her, only to stare into familiar hazel eyes, framed by messy sandy hair.

“Liam?” she croaked in disbelief, to the boy who she hadn’t seen since the day she was thrown in the Skybox, where he’d been laying in a pool of his own blood as she’d been dragged away, kicking and screaming.

He gave her a soft, but familiar grin. “Hey, Al,” he said, reaching out and running a hand through her hair. Her heart ached at the familiar nickname and her mind seemed to forget entirely that he had switched faces not once, but twice before, his personality blending from one to another. She leaned into his hand.

“Liam...” she breathed in relief, before taking a deep breath. “I’m so sorry,” she told him, words that she’d needed to say to him for years, pouring out of her mouth. “I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t...I wasn’t fast enough.”

His hand came to rest at the back of her neck and he smiled soothingly. “I know, Al,” he reassured her, bringing up his other hand, the glint of silver catching her attention. She only felt perplexed at the fact that he was holding a knife, her knife, the one that had done so much damage during her life.

When he leaned down towards her again she could only meet his eyes, noting that his smile had curved into something darker, something more sinister. She didn’t have time to move before the hand holding her neck tightened and the other struck her like a snake.

Pain pierced her neck and then she was choking, gagging on the warm fluid that filled her throat. Jerking away, she reached up to grip his hand, his skin cool and clammy, fingers still tightly clenched around the cold handle of the blade he had just buried in her neck. She could feel the warm fluid slipping past the blade and over his hand, coating her own. Coughing, choking, warm blood bubbled up her throat, filling her mouth with its coppery taste, before spilling past her lips. Panic clawed through her as she attempted staunch the flow, but her energy seemed to drain out of her faster than she could react.

Shocked, she could only stare at him in disbelief.

She didn’t know who she was seeing. Atom? Wells? Liam? Somehow, the monster in front of her was a mixture of the three. It simply smiled, almost serenely, as if it hadn’t just stabbed her in the side of the neck. Then it leaned down, bringing their heads side to side, his lips brushing her ear. “We know you’re sorry, Al. We know. But being sorry just isn’t. good. enough.”

“Alex?” someone said and Alex’ eyes snapped open at the sound. Jolting up with a gasp, her hands flew to her neck, grasping for a wound that was never actually there, her fingers finding her skin clammy instead of slick with blood. Heart pounding in her chest, she gasped for breath, the knowledge that she wasn’t choking on her own blood taking a moment to sink in, and slowly the ache in her chest subsided. 

She was in her tent, exactly where she’d laid down to rest what felt like moments before. 

A dream. It was only a dream.

Movement from the opening to her tent caught her attention and she turned to see Harper was peering down from the opening in her tent, expression somewhere between worried and sympathetic. Alex realized that it must have been her who she’d heard calling her name, the sound thankfully waking her up from the nightmare she’d been stuck in.

With a small groan, Alex rubbed her face, realizing that not only was her face soaked with sweat, her hair sticking to her skin. She’d been crying in her sleep. 

No wonder Harper’s staring at you like you’re about to lose your mind. She’s probably thinks you’re acting like a child… who cries in their sleep?

“Hey, sorry,” Alex hurried to reassure her, quickly wiping her face with her sleeve, waving her forward, before she tried to untangle the mop of blonde hair on her head. She must have been tossing and turning in her sleep. “You can come in... if you’d like?” she offered tentatively.

Harper’s eye knit together softly and she bit her lip, looking uncertain for a moment before nodding and moving the flap aside, ducking into the small tent and kneeling in the space next to her.

Alex squinted at the sunlight that came through the gap. With a jolt, she realized she must have slept through the entire night. In fact, she could already hear the activity from the rest of the camp, so she might have actually overslept.  
She frowned. That would be a first.

Her confusion must have shown because Harper answered her unasked question. “Jemma said you were completely out this morning, so we decided to let you get some sleep. She said… Well, that you haven’t been sleeping much the past few days. We were hoping that it would help,” she grimaced, looking sorry. “Guess good intentions can’t keep nightmares away.”

Alex huffed a small bitter laugh. “Nothing keeps nightmares away,” she grumbled, mostly to herself, before continuing, giving her an honestly smile. “But thank you, anyways. I appreciate it. Sleep hasn’t been easy to come across lately, to every little bit helps,” she shrugged, then nodded towards the activity going on outside, “I actually feel much better than I did.” And it was true, she realized. She felt better than she had in a few days.

Harper smiled, eyes crinkling in the corners as she nodded. “Great! I’m glad,” she said sincerely. “Today should help too. It’s actually a nice day out there today. No more rain!” she grinned at her, but the expression didn’t last long on her face, which slowly slipped back into a worried look.

Alex frowned at the change of expression, concern going through her. Despite Harper being more than helpful watching over Jemma and Charlotte, she knew that the other girl wouldn’t seek her out unless she needed to, like most of the others in the group. Especially without one of the two younger girls in tow. “Something wrong?” she asked, fully turning to face the other girl, crossing her legs in front of her, bracing her forearms on her knees.

Harper bit the inside of her cheek, “I guess. I’m...not sure, actually,” she replied, fiddling with her fingers in her lap, looking like she was gathering her thoughts, as she gazed around the tent. She took a deep breath, then continued, “I guess I’ve just noticed that something was off with Charlotte since...well, you know,” she gave a small grimace, her words hurried, as if she spoke fast enough, it would gloss over the mention of Wells death. It didn’t, but Alex appreciated the effort.

“Off? How so?” Alex asked, eyeing her. She hadn’t seen much of Charlotte the past few days, the other girl keeping to herself, but she’d assumed that was because of how distant she had been, and not because the young girl was acting any stranger than normal.

“Distant? More quiet than usual?” Harper offered with a tentative shrug. “The thing that’s got me worried is that she’s been avoiding Jemma too...and wandering off in the middle of the day. To the point that even Jemma mentioned it this morning.”

Alex frowned. That is odd. Those two have been inseparable since we landed.

“I guess I’m just worried that she’s afraid about what happened and is pulling away from the group,” Harper continued softly, giving Alex an almost regretful look, her face sincere. “I know...I know things have been rough for you lately...but, but I was wondering if you could, maybe, talk to her about it?” she asked then bit her lip, giving her a small smile. “I’m worried that something could happen before we get the wall up and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Alex couldn’t help but smile at the other girl. Something about Harper was so nice, so sincere. She was always making sure everyone was alright, always willing to help others around camp. There weren’t many people like her around, making Alex briefly wonder what she’d done to end up in the Skybox alongside the rest of the delinquents. She seemed too good to be down here with the rest of them.

So she nodded. “Of course. I’ll check on her the moment I see her.”

Harper seemed to sag slightly with relief at her answer, sending her a beaming smile. “Thanks, Alex!” 

Alex wondered if the other girl thought she was going to say no to checking on Charlotte.

After Harper had left the tent and Alex had tied up her boots, she went looking for the absent girl. As she walked, she realized that while her sleep had been full of nightmares, she actually felt better than she’d felt in a long time. The cloud that had fogged her brain had disappeared. And though her muscles ached from working hard, she felt energetic.

She felt like she was going to be okay. She would live for Wells. He saw the potential in them being on Earth, of their survival here, so she would be damned if she didn’t do her best to make it happen.

Glancing towards the area where Wells was now resting, she gave a small smile. I promise, Wells. I’ll do my best, she thought, feeling like a weight had been removed from her shoulders.

It took her only a few minutes to find Charlotte, the girl wandering between the forest on the opposite side of the dropship. The young girl was wringing her hands together nervously, eyes wide as she stared out into the forest.

“Charlotte?” Alex called out to her as she approached to catch her attention. She was thoroughly unprepared for Charlotte's reaction. The young girl whirled around to face her, her eyes wide. Alex frowned as she physically watched the blood drain from her face. She had bags under her eyes like she hadn’t slept in days. 

Harper was right, something was wrong.

Charlotte was terrified. 

Of what though? Something? Someone? Did she see something?

Alex slowed her approach, coming to a stop a fair bit away, giving the girl space as she studied her, knowing how easy it was to feel crowded when she was scared. Trying to give her a reassuring expression, Alex eyed her trying to puzzle out what was wrong.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked her softly.

She was surprised when Charlotte’s face crumpled and the young girl launched herself at her wrapping her arms around her middle, sending her stumbling back. Leaning down, she wrapped her arms around the young girl's shoulders, shocked when she could feel them shaking.

The little girl was sobbing into her chest.

“Wow, hey. You’re okay. You’re okay,” Alex repeated reassuringly, hugging her as tightly as she could, wondering what the hell had made her so afraid, so shaken as to put her in this state. She pressed her cheek onto the shorter blonde’s head, rocking her gently back and forth. It took a few minutes, but slowly her sobs subsided into shaky hiccups.

When Alex was sure that Charlotte was a bit better, she pulled back slightly and looked down at her, but Charlotte wouldn’t pull her face away from her chest. With a sigh, Alex ran head hand over the girls braided hair.

“Come on,” Alex began. “let's sit down.” She turned, keeping an arm around Charlotte as she guided her to a nearby log, allowing her to sit down. 

Charlotte seemed to sag, dropping her face into her arms as Alex crouched in front of her, unsure what she could do for the clearly distraught girl other than be there for her, keeping her hand on her shoulder. After giving her a second, Alex decided she may as well ask. “You want to tell me what’s wrong?” She asked softly.

Charlotte hesitated then shook her head, keeping her face pressed into her arms.

Biting her lip uncertainly, Alex stared at the other girl, unsure of what to do. If the young girl didn’t tell her what was wrong, then she couldn’t do anything to help her.

“Charlotte, please. I can’t help if you don’t tell me,” she pleaded, running her hand over her head again, tilting her head down to try and catch the other girl’s eyes.

“I can’t,” Charlotte hiccupped, shaking her head vigorously. “If you know…” she trailed off.

Alex blinked, alarmed. Had Charlotte seen something she wasn’t supposed to and now feared for her life? Alex hastened to reassure her. “Charlotte! You don’t have to fear anything. Or anyone. Whatever it is, whatever you saw, I swear I’ll protect you. I can help you get through this,” she promised the distraught girl. “But you need to tell me what you saw,” she added more softly.

Charlotte shook her head. “No, you won’t,” she accused. “You’ll hate me.”

Stunned by the accusation, Alex sat back on her heels to stare at her. 

“What?” she frowned, “Why would you think I would hate you? You know that’s not true.” But even as she said that words, a cold feeling settled in her stomach. Reaching out she grabbed the girl’s shoulders and nudged her back until they were face to face. “Charlotte - Why would you think I would hate?” Alex asked, her voice more urgent, but it couldn’t hide the chill that went through her.

Charlotte lips quivered as she met her eyes and shook her head strongly before pulling away from her.

“Because, because I -I did it!” Charlotte sobbed, her red, tear streaked face staring up at her in despair.

“I killed Wells!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it?? Let me know in a review. I love to hear what you guys think! :)


	20. Chapter 20

“I killed Wells.”

Those three nightmarish words churned through her mind like a broken record, leaving Alex stunned - reeling. Breathless. Her heart thundered in her ears and for a never ending second, she felt like she had completely stepped out of her body and was watching something happen from very far away.

For a moment, she wished she were anywhere but here.

This can’t be happening...

As soon as the words had passed her lips, Charlotte slapped both of her hands over her mouth, eyes wide as she stared up at her in horror, like she couldn’t believe what she’d said.

It was only when bile burned her throat that Alex realized she would be sick.

Jolting to her feet, she stumbled over to a nearby tree - away from Charlotte - and promptly threw up the meager contents of her stomach into the few unlucky bushes that happened to be in her way. When the dry heaves subsided and her stomach finally settled, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before resting her forehead on her forearm and took a deep steadying breath. Then another. Her mind a mad jumble of thoughts as she weighed her options. What was she supposed to do about this?

What was she supposed to do?

Crime always resulted in punishment. It was something ingrained into them from the moment they were born. They had limited resources - food, water, clothing, medicine, people - every single one was precious and something that couldn’t be wasted. Using them or destroying them out of turn or unnecessarily was a crime and guaranteed harsh repercussions. You were lucky if you were under the age of eighteen. Minor crimes would result in time spent in the Skybox and, if you were lucky, the Council would grant you pardon at the end of the sentence. After all, children made mistakes. Children should be given second chances.

For the unfortunate criminals who were over the age of eighteen there was no leniency. No Skybox. No pardons. You committed a crime - any crime - execution would swiftly follow. Criminals had no place on the Ark. 

The rule was simple - crime ended in punishment. 

Even then, some crimes were punishable regardless of age. Physical assault... Sexual assault.... Murder. You did the crime, and it didn’t matter your age. The moment you hit eighteen, they handed you to the tender care of space. Where the oxygen in your blood boiled, skin bloats and swells and if you were unfortunate enough to hold your breath - your lungs explode. And that’s only after a couple of minutes of the terrifying awareness that you were dying, the safety of the Ark just out of reach.

Alex knew, she’d thought and dreamed and dreaded that moment thousands of times since she was first locked in the Skybox. She’d been certain it would be her fate and had reluctantly come to accept it. There was no pardon for what she’d done. The circumstance were irrelevant.. 

Being sent to Earth was her escape from her fate. Her salvation.

Now they were on Earth. Their resources weren’t so limited. They didn’t need to punish people for crimes the same way they’d done on the Ark. They had opportunity to thrive here. A place to develop what they needed - grow food, make clothing, develop medicine. They wouldn’t even have to rely on the one child policy anymore.

But nothing - nothing - changed the fact that murder was murder. And Charlotte had killed Wells.

She killed him.

The spike of red hot anger shot through her, making her tremble. The last time she’d felt this angry was seeing Liam lying on the floor, choking on his own blood, those guards standing over him…. For a split second Alex was sure she wanted to hurt the younger girl. After everything they’d been through together, everything she’d done for the her...

She needed to know why. Why did she kill him?

With one more deep breath she pushed herself away from the tree and turned to face Charlotte, who hadn’t moved an inch from where she was sitting. She was hunched over almost defensively, hands still clasped tightly over her mouth, cheeks wet with tears.

Alex took one angry stride towards her, fists clenched, brow furrowed into a dark glare, but froze when Charlotte flinched back. The young girl no longer looked upset, she looked absolutely terrified, eyes round and wide. 

She’s afraid of you.

Despite everything, the thought made something inside her hurt. She wasn’t like this, she didn’t hurt - defenceless? - little girls regardless of what they’ve done. 

And Charlotte was so young. How could she have possibly known what she was doing?

She stabbed Wells in the neck, the same way Clarke had stabbed Atom. There was intent there. This wasn’t just an accident. Charlotte knew what she was doing when she did it. She reminded herself, thinking back to how Charlotte acted around Wells - always disappearing the moment he arrived, flinching away from him when he was around, her nervousness, her fear. But why…. what had Wells ever done to her?

Forcing herself to relax, she unclenched her fists from where her nails were digging painfully into her palms. She didn’t want to move any closer in fear that if she did, Charlotte would bolt. And that was that last thing she needed to deal with at the moment. Right now,  
she needed answers.

Blinking back tears, she stared down at the young girl and finally uttered the one word she needed an answer to.

“Why?” her voice cracked over the single word. “Why would you do this?”

Charlotte seemed to sag even deeper into her seat, dropping her arms from her mouth to clutch around her middle instead, eyes clenching shut.

“I’m - I’m sorry! I h-had to,” she cried out, voice pleading, her lips trembling. “I’m sorry!”

Alex was shaking her head before she’d even finished her apology, her mouth opening and closing, not sure what she could even begin to say. “No...” she began, but words failed her.

There were so many things she wanted to say. No... that’s not a reason. No... you don’t get to apologize, not when Wells is dead.

But... she had to? What does that even mean?

Licking her dry lips, she tried again and this time her voice came out firmer than before, “Why did you do it, Charlotte?” she hesitated before asking her next question, already dreading the answer, “Did Wells…,” her throat clenched at his name, and she had to clear it, “... did he do something - hurt you in some way?” 

Charlotte merely shook her head in response, and frustration and anger washed through Alex.

“Charlotte!” she snapped at her, although her voice sounded pleading to her own ears. Rubbing her forehead she shoved her hair away from her face. “I - I can’t do anything... I can’t understand... I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what happened,” she took a shuddering breath, “please, Charlotte, I need to know,” she finished softly.

When Charlotte resolutely kept her mouth shut, Alex was sure she wasn’t going to get an answer at all. Alex was about to turn away, a noise of angry frustration building at the back of her throat, when Charlotte finally spoke.

“He - he reminded me of my parents,” Charlotte said, her voice soft, her gaze a million miles away.

Alex froze, staring down at her, feeling confused. How did Wells remind Charlotte of her parents? Did they know each other on the Ark? They never acted like it - Wells didn’t seem to recognize her at all. 

“What? Your parents? What do you mean?” Alex demanded, trying to put the pieces together.

Eyes darting over the ground, Charlotte hesitated, biting her lips. “Before I got arrested,” she began tentatively, speaking like she was carefully choosing each word. “I - I saw. My mom and dad got floated,” she stated. “And…. and he was there.”

Wells was there when her parents were floated? Disbelief and confusion washed through her. That…. that doesn’t make any sense. Executions were private affairs. Only family and close relatives were allowed to be there, to say goodbye. Just them and Chancellor Jaha and any Senior Councilmen. As far as she knew Wells had no connection to Charlotte in any way, not until they’d fallen to Earth together. So why would he have been there?

Alex couldn’t see Chancellor Jaha bringing his son to something like that. Execution was a serious matter, not just another day at the office.

“Wells was there?” Alex asked, frowning, unable to keep the scepticism out of her voice, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. 

Charlotte shook her head again and Alex grit her teeth, needing a straight answer.

“No, not Wells... Chancellor Jaha,” Charlotte said and Alex was only partially surprised at the venom in her voice, understanding that losing her parents at such a young age must have been hard. It was something that Alex could relate to. Having someone to blame made it easier to deal with.

But it still didn’t explain why she’d killed Wells.

“That - that still doesn’t-”

“Because every time,” Charlotte’s voice cracked over the word, and she hugged herself even tighter. “Every time I saw him - any time I looked at him, I saw his father push that button and I see them getting sucked out into space again, and again, and again,” her eyes clenched shut, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. “I just needed it to end.”

Silence descended between them and for a long moment Alex was too stunned to know what to say to the other girl.

Charlotte had murdered Wells for the simple fact that he looked like his father. 

What was she supposed to do with that?

Her simmering anger returned full force. “So - let me get this straight. You - you killed Wells for something he didn’t do - something he had no connection to in any way…” she shook her head in disbelief, her mind reeling. “Charlotte, why didn’t you say something? We could have figured something out... I could have helped you,” she choked as her throat seized up, “If you’d just talked to me, to Bellamy, to Harper, to somebody, then Wells might still be alive!” her voice rose in tone towards the end, forgetting about keeping things quiet, that she didn’t want to be overheard.

Charlotte trembled, and wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked out.

Alex exhaled sharply through her nose, turning away and began pacing. What was she supposed to do? Punish her for her crime like they would have on the Ark? Murder was punishable by execution, everyone knew that. But they weren’t on the Ark anymore... did the same rules no longer apply? The thought of Charlotte facing execution left a bitter taste in her mouth, but doing nothing and letting her get away with killing Wells, who was innocent, made her stomach turn completely. 

For the first time in a long time Alex felt at a loss. 

What could she do to make sure that Charlotte didn’t hurt someone else? If she got away with murder now, what would stop her from thinking she could kill someone else she incorrectly placed her fears on? Alex couldn’t be around to watch the young girl's every move... 

In that moment Alex realized she couldn’t do this alone. She needed to talk this through with someone who would help her figure out what to do, someone who would listen to her. This wasn’t a decision she could make on her own. Charlotte actions affected the entire group.

And this whole time we’re building a wall because we thought the Grounders were the danger, when in reality the danger was already inside the walls, her mind scoffed.

The next question was - who could she trust with this?

Realistically, she knew there were only two feasible options - Clarke and Bellamy. Between the two of them, the rest of their delinquents would follow their lead, whatever their decision was on the matter.

Although Clarke would normally be the first person she would consider going to, she knew the other girl was too close to the situation. The normally reliable and levelheaded girl was already blinded over her grief of losing Wells. Bringing her attention to the fact that it had been Charlotte instead of Grounders felt like a bad call. Alex couldn’t predict how she would react. 

That only left one option.

Bellamy it is. The thought strangely brought her a sense of relief. She’d seen the way he’d taken care of Charlotte in the cave, seen the way he acted around his sister. It was clear he had a soft spot for them, was protective of them. Hopefully he would be sympathetic and she could rely on him to be levelheaded and give her an idea of what to make of this mess…. despite his dislike of Wells.

Alex started when bark of laughter broke through her thoughts and she realized how close to the rest of the delinquents they were standing. Whirling around, she scanned the area, triple checking to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. While she could see Murphy and a couple of his goons standing on the far edge of the dropship, they fortunately didn’t seem to be paying them any attention. A small sense of relief washed through her. The last thing she needed was Murphy sticking his nose into this.

Rubbing her face, she pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes she took a deep breath before dropping her arms to her sides and turning to glare at Charlotte, who hadn’t moved a muscle from her spot. The young girl was staring at her with a mixture of trepidation and fear.

Good, Alex thought darkly. She needs to be worried about the consequences of her actions.

“Okay,” she exhaled sharply. “Okay. I’m - I’m going to go... and somehow figure out what to do about this. I want you to stay here until I get back. Stay here. Don’t. Move,” she told the young girl firmly.

Charlotte looked worried and pushed herself hurriedly to her feet. “But - I want to come with you!”

“No!” Alex snapped back, marching towards Charlotte and grabbing her shoulders tightly. “No, Charlotte. I don’t think you get it. You murdered someone. You killed an innocent boy. If we were on the Ark, you would be locked up in the Skybox and when you were old enough, they would float you. Just like your parents,” she spat, ignoring how Charlotte flinched, forcing herself to not feel bad. She needed to understand how serious her actions were. “What you want doesn’t matter... So, you’re going to do as you're told and sit here until I tell you otherwise. Do you understand me?” When Charlotte didn’t immediately respond, she gave her a small shake. “Do you understand?”

Charlotte avoided her gaze as her lip trembled and she nodded, sinking back onto the log behind her, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs and pressing her forehead to her knees.

“Just... just stay here,” she told her more softly before turning away. She needed to find Bellamy.

Making sure to go around the Dropship on the opposite side from where she’d seen Murphy hanging out, she wove her way through the groups of delinquents milling around, most taking a rest from building the wall and enjoying today's nicer weather.

Eyeing the groups of teens, she kept an eye out for the dark shaggy hair that had become a familiar sight to her over the past week, frowning when she didn’t see him in the area. But when her gaze landed on two particular teens, her frowned softened. She knew who to ask about Bellamy’s whereabouts. 

Octavia was helping pained and shaky looking Jasper slowly shuffle across camp, one arm thrown over her shoulders for support as they moved. Jasper’s skin still held a slight pallor, but he no longer looked on the verge of death, his cheeks flushed from his effort from walking, his eyes set in a determined frown. Although they moved slowly, Alex was surprised at the patient look Octavia was sending the taller boy. She’d never known the younger girl to be anything close to patient.

As she approached them, Alex was startled to realize that this was the first time Jasper had been out of the Dropship since being hit in the chest by a spear, nearly nine days ago. Despite the circumstances, she felt relief seeing him back on his feet again. 

At least one thing was going right today.

Jasper was the first to spot her and despite his pained and haggard appearance he gave her a familiar, goofy and sincere smile, and Alex felt her lips twitch in response.

“Hey,” she greeted him, reaching out and grasping Jasper shoulder, giving Octavia a nod in greeting, to which Octavia replied with one of her own. “You have no idea how nice it is to see you back on your feet,” she informed him wholeheartedly, her relief echoing through her words.

He gave her shaky grin. “It’s nice to know I was missed,” he replied, puffing out his chest before deflating with a wince, his free hand coming up to tenderly touch his chest. Alex followed the movement with her eyes, noting the inch long hole in his shirt. “I’ve heard things have been pretty crazy while I was out,” he continued, his smile slipping away as he lowered his voice. “I - I heard about Wells. I know you guys were close. I guess I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for your loss, Alex. It can’t have been easy.”

You have no idea.

Her heart clenched painfully at his words, and she had to swallow the lump that grew in her throat in response. “Yeah, thanks,” she croaked out. “It - It’s been tough.”

The look he gave her in reply easily punched a hole in her carefully constructed wall she’d shoved her emotions behind, and her breathing hitched as she blinked back a sudden wave of tears. 

Seeing her expression crumple, Jasper’s gaze softened, and he motioned her towards him with a small wave of his hand. “Awe, come’ere,” he said with a sigh, reaching out with his one free arm.

Alex was more than happy to step into his one-armed hug, wrapping her arms around him lightly, being mindful of his wound. Pressing her cheek into his shoulder, she allowed herself to feel the solace he was offering. She needed the comfort, any comfort, and the sincerity in Jasper’s mannerism gave her some small sense of relief. He was the first one to see through her mask and let her know she wasn’t alone in this.

“If you need to talk, or someone to just sit with, you just come find me, okay? Monty too. We’ll cause some trouble to keep you occupied,” Jasper mumbled into her ear. With a small laugh, she nodded into his shoulder, pulling away when Octavia cleared her throat.

“Thanks,” she told him sincerely.

“Not a problem,” Jasper said then turned and gave Octavia a sly look. “Well, I think this lovely lady and I are going to continue our scenic stroll through the forest, see these delinquents in their natural habitat,” he sent her a wink.

Octavia just rolled her eyes in exasperation although her lips tugged up into a small smile. “Whatever you say, spear-boy.”

The way that the dark-haired girl leaned into Jasper’s side and Jasper grinned cheekily down at her made Alex wonder if something had happened between the two of them. They seemed to be... closer than before.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something,” Alex said, turning to Octavia, who looked slightly startled that she was addressing her, from the way her eyebrows rose. Which was fair enough, they’d never really seen eye to eye about... anything, really.

“Oh yeah? What did you want?” Octavia tilted her head almost haughtily.

“I was wondering if you knew where your brother was?” Alex asked, tentatively. “I need to... talk to him about something.”

“Oh,” Octavia looked surprised about her question. “Well, I haven’t seen him yet this morning, but I think he’s still in his tent.”

Alex bit the inside of her cheek, feeling sheepish that she hadn’t thought about checking there first. It felt like she’d been up for an entire day so far, when it can’t have been any longer than an hour since Harper had come and woken her up. It would only make sense that Bellamy might not even be up yet. Her conversation with Charlotte had drained her entirely, negating any positive effects from her good night’s sleep the previous night.

“Ah, right. Thanks,” she nodded and began to turn away when Octavia shot her a suspicious look.

“Why are you looking for my brother?” Even her tone was suspicious.

Not about to tell her the truth of what she wanted to tell him, Alex shrugged. “Nothing. Just wanted to clear things up some things about the hunting party’s.”

Octavia eyed her for a minute before making a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat and turning away, tugging on Jasper's arm. “Whatever. Come on, Jasper, let’s see where we get to.”

Jasper gave her a little wave of his fingers as they shuffled away and Alex turned, heading in the direction she knew Bellamy’s tent was set up in.

As she walked, Alex realized that she’d never been in the area where Bellamy and some of the other delinquents had set up their tents, her own tent on the far side of the dropship. But she instantly knew which one was his when her eye landed on the largest one in the middle.

She couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. What was with guys wanting bigger, better things - it didn’t matter what it was.

As she approached the front of the tent, Alex was about to call out to see if he was awake when a throaty moan filled the air, followed by a distinctly girly giggle. That doesn’t sound like Bellamy, Alex thought meekly as she froze, wondering for a moment what she was listening to when there was another moan.

Oh God... Alex felt herself flush red from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair. She was listening to Bellamy Blake have sex.

For a split second, Alex contemplated walking away and completely forgetting about talking to him about Charlotte and what she’d done to Wells, but the thought sent a chill through her. Wells deserves better than that. She chided herself. So get over yourself and deal with it. What Charlotte had done was not something she could just brush off. It needed to be dealt with before something else happened and things got worse.

This can’t wait. She told herself firmly, and steeled her resolve, before stepping up to the tent and slapping her hand down on the canvas siding a couple of times, the equivalent to any kind of knocking.

“Blake, are you in there? Blake! We need to talk,” she called out, realizing how stupid the question sounded when she could clearly hear he was in there. And that he wasn’t alone.

The moans and giggles cut off abruptly and for a second there was total silence. Alex eyed the tent warily, before wincing as an extremely shrill female voice called out, one she recognized as Roma’s. “What the fuck? Who the hell is that?” 

Alex grimaced as she heard Bellamy groan, although this time it held a tone of frustration. “It’s Evans.” 

“Tell her to go away,” Roma snipped back.

Alex could hear rustling from inside the tent, then Bellamy finally answered the other girl, “Just...give me a sec.”

The next thing she knew the flap of canvas that worked as a door was shoved to one side, and suddenly Alex found herself staring at Bellamy’s tanned, toned, sweaty chest. 

Eyes unconsciously trailing the curve of his chest muscles and over the well defined abs...Alex had to forcibly will herself to not turn bright red again and not think about what he’d just been doing, and thanked the heavens that he’d at least had the decency to put his pants on before greeting her... although his fly was unzipped and so they hung dangerously low on his hips…

Her mouth was suddenly suspiciously dry.

Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look.

When he pointedly cleared his throat, she forced her gaze up to meet his eyes. He was giving her an unimpressed look, folding his arms across his chest. His hair was messier than usual, sticking up in a hundred different directions and it wasn’t hard to guess that someone had been running their hands through it. Over his shoulder, she could see Roma sitting up in in Bellamy’s bed, sending her a nasty glare, her blanket pooled around her waist, her chest fully exposed to the air. It was clear she wasn’t ashamed or worried about what Alex thought. In fact, the move came across as...territorial.

“While I do enjoy being checked out, I was kinda busy here, Evans,” Bellamy stated pointedly, eyebrow raised, before his mouth curved into a slow, cochy smirk. “Although, you’re more than welcome to join us if you want,” he added invitingly, ignoring the disgusted sound of protest that came from Roma. “There’s always room for one more.”

Alex hesitated, contemplating what to say, before leaning slightly towards him. “We need to talk,” she said, keeping her voice low in an effort to keep Roma from hearing what she had to say. “It’s important.”

He gave her an exasperated look, running a ran through his hair as he shifted from foot to foot. “Look, Evans. As much as I’ve been enjoying our one-on-one time, I do have other priorities right now. I’m busy,” he informed her bluntly. She was kind of surprised when he didn’t fully wave her away. “I’m sure whatever you have to say can wait.”

When he turned to duck back inside the tent, she reached out and lightly grabbed his arm. 

He paused at the touch and turned to eye her.

“I’m serious, Blake - Bellamy - this is important,” she said, feeling desperate. “I need your help. I - I don’t know what else to do. Please.”

He paused, his frown deepening as he stared at her. Something about her expression must have told him that something was actually wrong, because he eventually gave a slow nod in response.

Heaving a sigh, he rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine. Just - give me a second to grab some clothes,” he said, then ducked into the tent again, leaving her standing awkwardly outside, fidgeting with the scab on her palm from the day before. She tried not to cringe and ignored how Roma’s voice demanding to know “where the hell are you going?” and “why are you leaving?” and “are you going to go fuck that bitch instead?” 

Alex wasn’t surprised when Bellamy ducked out of the tent again not even thirty seconds later, shooting the inside of his tent a dirty look as he pulled his jacket over his blue t-shirt, before turning to give her an expectant look.

“So, what’s so important?” he asked bluntly.

Glancing around, she knew that there would be too many ears listening to them where they were, so she nodded her head towards the edge of the clearing, somewhere a little more private. When she headed off in that direction, she could hear him behind her.

As soon as they were a decent enough distance from the tents, Alex stopped and turned towards him, nervously biting her lip, wondering how the hell she was going to broach the subject. How do could she begin to tell him that Charlotte had been the one to murder Wells - that it had nothing to do with Grounders?

“So, you wanted to be alone with me? Didn’t think you were so forward...unless, of course, Roma makes you jealous?” he teased, but at her hesitation, his expression softened to something akin to concern. “Is everything alright, Evans?”

“Uh, no, nothing’s happened,” she stammered out, crossing her arms, unsure about how to begin. “I guess I’m okay. Well, I mean. I’ve been better...but you know,” she shrugged then licked her lips uncertainly.

He eyed her for a moment, taking in her defensive posture. “But something’s wrong.” It wasn’t a question.

She took a deep breath, trying to gather the words she needed to string a coherent sentence together. Before she told him anything about Charlotte she needed to know what his opinions were on punishment, he always seemed against Ark rules, but she needed to make sure that when it came down to it, he meant it. “Okay...Okay,” she began, running a hand through her hair. “I need to know - did you mean what you said when we first landed - that the Ark rules don’t apply here on Earth?” 

Bellamy gave her a puzzled look, narrowing his eyes at her. He clearly hadn’t been expecting her to ask that. “Yes... I did,” he replied cautiously, although firmly. “We don’t need to live the way we did. Not anymore.”

“Even the Ark’s laws?” she quickly continued. 

“Yeah-”

She interrupted him, “What about if someone committed a crime?” she asked, eyeing him “Don’t you think we need some type of system to keep people in check? Some sort of way to keep order?”

He was beginning to give her a suspicious look. “I suppose so. Why? What did you do?” he asked dryly, like he wouldn’t be surprised if she had done something.

Startled at his question she quickly shook her head. “No! I mean - no. We’re not talking about me at all.” When all he did was stare at her expectantly, she continued. “What if...someone...stole something? Would you have them locked up? Like on the Ark?”

He cocked his head to the side. “It would probably depend on what was stolen. But I don’t think we would have to float people for their crimes, if that’s what you’re asking. Here the punishment would actually fit the crime,” he sighed. “Evans, what is this about?”

Biting her lip, she eyed him. “What if somebody - say a younger delinquent - did something worse than theft? Something that if it had been done on the Ark - would have resulted in floating, regardless of their age?” she asked warily, half wincing as she finished.

“What?” he frowned, dropping his arms to his sides as he stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

Licking her lips, she hesitated. “Uh -”

“Bellamy!”

Any words she had about Charlotte killing Wells died on her lips at the sounds of Clarke’s voice, and both her and Bellamy turned to face the direction it came from. Even though Clarke deserved to know, Alex didn’t feel like this would be the right time for her to find out.

She didn’t think things could get much worse than they were, but she figured she would have to get used to how low her standards were becoming. Despite what Wells had said, things could always get worse, wasn’t that how Murphy’s Law worked?

Clarke was marching towards them, her expression stormy, Octavia helping Jasper along behind her. None of them looked happy. Clarke was holding something, her hands cupped tightly in front of her. As she came to stop in front of them, she glanced between them urgently. “We need to talk.”

“Apparently everyone needs to talk today,” Bellamy responded dryly, crossing his arms over his chest, before shooting Alex a questioning look.

She could only shake her head in response.

He shrugged and turned back to Clarke. 

“I think we have a problem.” Clarke warned them before holding out her clasped hands and opening them to show them what she was holding.

Cupped in her hands was a piece of fabric… and sitting in the middle of the piece of fabric was something that made Alex want to be sick for the second time in the past hour.

Clarke was holding two of Wells’ severed fingers.

\----------------------------------

After eyeing the area around them warily, Bellamy had been quick to shuffle them all into his tent, where thankfully Roma was no longer anywhere to be seen.

Clarke gently placed Wells severed fingers onto the throw together table sitting in the middle of Bellamy’s tent. Octavia followed suit, setting a folded piece of metal with sharpened edges next to them.

Alex swallowed harshly, not sure if she was swallowing bile or the scream that she was pretty sure was trying to claw its way out of her throat. She was one hundred percent sure that she was staring at the weapon that Charlotte had used to kill Wells.

For a long time, none of them said anything, merely contemplating the meaning of the items before them. Alex stood off to one side, slightly behind Bellamy, her arms wrapped comfortingly around her middle. She didn’t know what to do.

Do I tell them that Charlotte was the one to do it? She knew the answer to the question, but even so couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

“We found them just outside the wall,” Octavia said softly, leaning against the edge of the table, glancing up at her brother before looking down at the fingers. She hesitated. “They were near where... he was found.”

Clarke reached out and picked up the handmade knife, her finger sliding along the sharpened edge thoughtfully. “This was made from metal from the dropship,” she said, before glancing up and eyeing each of them.

Jasper’s expression changed to one of worry, his eyes flickering between the knife and Clarke, his hand coming up to touch his chest. “What - what do you mean?”

Before Clarke could answer him, Bellamy shifted on his feet. “Who else knows about this?” 

Octavia shook her head. “No one,” she told him. “We brought it straight here.”

“Clarke?” Jasper asked, still watching the other blonde girl, who was staring at the knife in her hand, her expression cold.

“This means - the Grounders didn’t kill Wells,” she stated slowly, looking like she was coming to the same horrifying conclusion Alex had come to earlier. “It was one of us.”

“S -so,” Jasper stuttered out, beginning to look like he was going to be sick, “there’s a murderer in this camp?”

Octavia’s eyes snapped up and landed on Alex. “Well, that would make it more than one murderer in camp. Unless...” she trailed off pointedly. 

Alex froze when everyone else’s eyes snapped to her. Jasper was staring at her with wide eyes and Clarke was giving her a look close to suspicion. Bellamy frowned down at her, and although his look held suspicion, Alex felt that it was more related to the fact that he was connecting the dots from their earlier conversation instead of believing that she was guilty... 

Her jaws clenched in response, hackles rising at the accusing looks. “I had nothing to do with Wells murder,” she snapped back to the younger girl. But then why aren’t you telling them who really did it? Charlotte’s admission of guilt returned full force, yet they didn’t come anywhere close to her tongue. Even though she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Charlotte was guilty of the crime, she was hesitant to say so, even though she had every intention of telling Bellamy only minutes ago. So why was she hesitation now? 

Octavia raised her eyebrows and gave her a cool, disbelieving stare. “Sure, whatever you say.”

Bellamy stepped forward, giving his sister a warning stare. “Leave it alone, O. Evans didn’t do this.”

Alex gaze snapped up to stare at him, surprised at his defense.

“But I’m right, aren’t I?” Octavia argued back, standing up straight to eye her brother. “We’re saying that there’s a murderer in camp, when there’s a murderer standing in this tent. What - are we just supposed to take her word that she didn’t do it?” she demanded.

Octavia’s words made her heart pound in her chest. Outrage, worry, fear - the whirl of emotions choked her, and Alex took a moment to remind herself not to react. She understood where the other girl was coming from - Octavia was looking for someone to blame, and Alex was an easy target. After all, Octavia wasn’t necessarily wrong. 

Murder was murder.

Even so, she knew that emotion overriding logic was a dangerous route to be on and would ultimately only make matters worse. So, she forced herself to take a slow steadying breath and rein in her initial emotions. Getting defensive wasn’t going to help her case and if they were going to sort this mess out, it needed to be with a level head.

She gave Octavia a steady stare. “It - wasn’t - me,” she told her firmly, trying to convey her seriousness, and the fact that she was telling the truth.

“Besides, there’s more than one murderer in this camp,” Bellamy added, “It’s not like any of us are here because we’re saints.”

Octavia scowled, looking away. “Speak for yourself,” she spat bitterly.

Bellamy winced. “Look, I just meant that this isn’t news. We need to keep this quiet.”

Wait, what? Why does he want to keep this quiet? Alex wondered staring at him. Although, this works in Charlotte’s favor. We can deal with it without everyone else’s opinion.

Clarke, however, seemed to have other ideas. With a determined frown, she clenched the knife in hand and she began making her way around the table, towards the exit. Bellamy was quick to step in front of her.

“Wait, Clarke. Be smart about this,” he told her calmly, almost pleadingly. “Look at what we’ve achieved...The wall, the patrols. Like it or not, thinking the Grounders killed Wells is good for us.”

He’s right. Wells’ death has brought the delinquents together under a common enemy….It’s too bad it’s the wrong enemy. 

Clarke scoffed, sending him a glare, as she stood toe to toe with him. “Oh, good for you, you mean,” she spat, looking up at him in disgust. “What...keep people afraid and they’ll work for you? Is that it?”

Alex shared a grimace with Jasper, wondering if she should step in.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “that’s it. But it’s good for all of us. Fear of the Grounders is building that wall,” he informed her and Clarke shook her head in disbelief. 

Alex cleared her throat, “He’s not wrong Clarke,” she began slowly, and the aforementioned girl’s gaze snapped to her. “I don’t agree with using Wells death like this, but... maybe it’s worth waiting until the wall’s done to bring this to the rest of the group?” she asked Clarke cautiously. “So that we’re safe from what’s outside the camp before we focus on the inside? The Grounders are still a danger,” she said, nodding to head to Jasper, who nodded his head in agreement.

For a second, Clarke looked unsure, glancing down at the knife in her hands.

“And besides, what are you going to do...just walk out there and ask the killer to come forward?” Bellamy asked with a scoff of his own. “You don’t even know whose knife that is.”

Clarke pursed her lip, giving him an unimpressed look. “Oh really?” she asked mockingly, bringing up the knife so that he could see. Pointing to the inside edge of the knife she continued, “It wasn’t Alex. It wasn’t anybody else for that matter. See this? J.M….John Murphy - people have a right to know,” she finished before shoving past him and out the tent, leaving everyone staring at each other in stunned silence.

Alex couldn’t move, staring blankly at the door Clarke had just walked through. She felt as if the wind was knocked out of her, her lungs struggling to find air. What had just happened?

This was exactly what she didn’t want to happen. She wanted to deal with this quietly and sensibly, and instead had got the total opposite - Clarke on a mission, hell bent on accusing Murphy for a crime he didn’t do. Things were escalating too quickly, spiraling out of control, exactly what she wanted to avoid in the first place.

Guilt hit her, but she couldn’t force her legs to move, to chase after the other girl and tell her she was about to make a terrible mistake. Sure, Murphy was the biggest asshole she’d ever met, and he’d caused more distress for the group then everyone else combined. Hell, he’d threatened her life on more than one occasion, so there was no love lost between them. But she wasn’t sure she could stand by and watch Murphy take the fall for the one thing Alex knew with certainty he had no part of.

If she revealed that Charlotte was the real murderer she had no way to predict how the group would react. Would they think about it rationally? Or lash out in anger, regardless of Charlotte’s age? Mob mentality was brutal and unpredictable, and only needed the right spark to ignite it. Killing one of their own seemed like the right fit. And if that happened there was no way Alex would be able to protect the other girl from whatever the group decided.

But if she said nothing, then Murphy would take the fall...and Charlotte could walk away scot-free. After all, it wouldn’t be a stretch for the delinquents to believe Murphy had intent to kill Wells, not after how he’d treated the other boy on a daily basis.  
It would be easy to do...simply keep your mouth shut and say nothing and it could kill two birds with one stone. Charlotte’s gets off easy...You can keep her under watch instead. And Murphy stops being a problem once and for all. It sounded so simple, so easy.

But...could she bring herself to stand by quietly and watch Murphy take the fall for something he didn’t do, when she was the only one could step in to prove otherwise?

Could she live with herself if she did?


	21. Chapter 21

“Clarke!” Alex called out, scrambling after the other girl. Clarke was marching across the camp, heading directly for the wall. “Clarke, wait! Think about this for a second - just because it’s Murphy’s knife doesn’t mean that he did it.” The words felt hollow even as she said them. “For all we know, it could have been anybody!”

Clarke didn't spare her a glance, instead scouring nearby delinquents for any signs of the boy who she’d already deemed guilty. After a moment, Clarke responded. “Who else could it have been? Murphy’s made it more than clear on several occasions that he wouldn’t mind _hurting_ Wells. Wouldn’t mind hurting _anyone,_ at that.”

Frustration welled up inside her. Why wouldn’t Clarke _listen_ to her? “But—” Alex tried again but had to stop when Clarke whirled around to face her, staring at her in disbelief.

“Are you actually _defending_ him?” Clarke asked, flabbergasted. “After everything he’s done — threatening Wells, threatening _you_ — and you’re trying to defend him?”

“Yes! I mean — No!” Alex replied, shaking her head, before groaning in frustration. “I just mean that maybe we should consider _all_ the facts before we go around accusing someone of murder!” She bit the inside of her cheek, cringing when her words came out louder than she’d intended, resulting in a few of the nearby teens turning towards them in interest. The last thing they needed was the entire camp overhearing them.

Clarke shook her head in response, looking at her like she’d never seen her before. “Murphy’s knife - which has his _initials_ carved into it _-_ was found on the exact spot where Wells _died,_ ” Clarke paused when her voice cracked over the last word. Clearing her throat, she continued, “and that was after he’d threatening Wells life with the same knife! Now, I don’t know what other proof _you_ need,” she said, tone accusing. “But I have more than enough to know who did it.” Clarke went to turn away, but paused to give her a disappointed look. “I thought that you would’ve wanted justice for Wells...I guess I was wrong,” she finished and turned away, continuing her march towards the nearly completed wall.

_But it wasn’t him!_ Alex wanted to scream after her. _It was Charlotte!_ However, a flash of Charlotte’s terrified gaze had her swallowing the words before they could pass her lips. She couldn’t bring herself to say the one thing that would direct the blame where it rightfully belonged. So she said nothing at all, watching Clarke walk away with a sickening feeling in her gut.

A presence at her shoulder had her glancing back and she found Bellamy standing beside her, watching Clarke walk away with a frown of his own, arms loosely folded across his chest. Sensing her gaze, he turned towards her. “She’s not wrong, you know,” he pointed out, eyeing her. “Defending Murphy isn’t something that you’re known to do,” he added dryly. “Anything you’d like to share?”

Biting her lip, she turned away, folding her arms defensively across her chest, once again contemplating telling him the truth, but when her gaze landed on Jasper and Octavia who were within earshot, she decided against it.

When she didn’t immediately answer his question, Bellamy sighed. “Is this something anything to do with what you were asking earlier? About the Ark’s laws?”

“It’s…. It’s nothing,” she finally answered, the words tasting bitter on her tongue, and turned to continue heading in the direction Clarke had gone.

“You know...I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong,” he stated lowly, matching her pace, seeming to sense her wariness to talk.

Gnawing on the inside of her cheek, she debated on her answer. “I know…” she said softly, “I guess, something just doesn’t feel right about this.”

When she didn’t elaborate, he rolled his eyes. “Right,” he stated flatly, like he didn’t quite believe her.

_Either you say something now, or you live with the consequences of your silence._

Gaze landing on Charlotte, who was standing on the far side of the clearing next to Jemma and Harper, solidified her decision in her mind, though it didn’t help the sickening churn of her stomach.

It didn’t take them long to catch up to Clarke, who’d found Murphy near the section of the wall still under construction.

“You son of a bitch!” Clarke exclaimed as she marched up to Murphy, shoving him back with enough force to send him stumbling back a step just as Alex, Bellamy, Octavia and Jasper came to stop behind her.

Clarke shout seemed to capture the attention of nearby delinquents at once, heads eagerly snapping around to face the commotion, the emotion only seeming to intensify when they saw that it was Clarke standing toe-to-toe with Murphy. It didn’t take them long to approach to watch the show.

Murphy looked shocked at the attack for all of a second before he righted himself, his expression shifting to an amused sneer as he stepped up to meet Clarke’s stare. “What the hell’s your problem?” he scoffed down at her.

For once, Clarke wasn’t putting up with any of his shit. Raising her right hand, she held out the blade - his blade - and shoved it in his face with a sneer of her own. “Recognize this?” she demanded, glaring at him.

Murphy’s eyes flickered down to her hand, a small frown of recognition crossing his face before indifference took its place. “Yeah, that’s my knife” he stated slowly, as if he were talking to a small child, while reaching forward to take it from her. Clarke was quick to snatch it out of his reach, so he paused, cocking his head to the side, eyeing her in annoyance. “Where’d you get it?”

“Where you dropped it after you killed Wells,” Clarke spat back with venom.

Alex _felt_ more than heard the shock that rippled through the crowd at Clarke’s accusation, the statement catching the attention of everyone within earshot. The pause lasted no longer than a split second before murmurs broke out around them. While some looked shocked, no one seemed to doubt Clarke’s statement - after all, Murphy had done an excellent job of making enemies from the moment they’d landed. Violence and aggression was practically his trademark.

And like a spark fueled by a fan, the shock quickly flared to anger.

Murphy seemed to instantly become aware of the change in the crowd, the smirk sliding slowly from his face as he stared down at Clarke. “Where I what?” he asked and for the first time in a long time, Alex thought she could detect a hint of nervousness in his tone.

She couldn’t blame him. He had no idea what Clarke was talking about, even though he knew the implication of her words.

Murphy shuffled closer to Clarke, as if trying to keep the conversation between them, an impossible task when they were the center of everyone’s attention. “The Grounders killed Wells,” he stated firmly, lowly. “Not me.”

“I _know_ what you did,” Clarke angrily replied, “and you’re going to pay for it.”

Murphy shifted on his feet as he stared at her, before his gaze flickered up around the crowd, finally landing on Bellamy, who was watching the scene with a carefully blank expression. “Really?” Murphy scoffed. “Bellamy, you believe this crap?”

_He’s calling out to Bellamy for help,_ Alex realized, a bitter taste in her mouth.

Beside her, Bellamy shifted on his feet, but said nothing. She could feel his discomfort and wondered if he knew that something was off about this, that maybe Murphy’s reaction to the accusation wasn’t what he expected.

Clarke wasn’t done. “You threatened to kill him,” she accused. “We all heard you. You hated Wells.

“Plenty of people hated Wells,” Murphy snapped back. “His father was the Chancellor that locked us all up.”

“You were the only one who got into a knife fight -”

“And I didn’t kill him then, either,” Murphy interrupted, glaring back at her.

“He tried to kill Jasper too,” Octavia piped up from where she stood off to the side. Beside her, Jasper blinked down at the dark haired girl in disbelief. Clearly, that was news to him.

Octavia’s words seemed to trigger something in the surrounding crowd, and the tension in the air spiked, as the murmurs of disbelief changed to anger.

“Is this the society we want?” Clarke demanded from the crowd. “You say we can do ‘whatever the hell we want’, but does that mean we can just kill each other, without...without punishment?”

There was a brief moment of deliberation before Connor stepped forward, throwing a fist in the air. “I say we float him!” He roared to the crowd who quickly exclaimed their approval.

“No!” Clarke responded, instantly realizing the mistake in her words. “That’s not what I meant!”

Connor stepped forward to meet her. “And why not?” he challenged, angrily pointing at Murphy, who stood fists and jaw clenched, glowering at Connor. “He committed a crime, so he floats. It’s justice!”

“Revenge isn’t justice!” Clarke argued, desperately looking around the crowd in disbelief.

No one was listening to her.

Connor had turned back to the crowd, taking the opportunity. “Float him! Float him! Float him!” He began. It didn’t take long for the rest to take up his chant.

Murphy seemed to snap out of it, realizing the danger he was in and turned to make a break through the crowd. He didn’t make it more than a few steps before someone kicked his legs out from under him.

As the crowd surged forward and lashed out at him like a ferocious beast, for the first time in a long time, Alex froze, her body unresponsive to the overwhelming need to step in and _help._ Trembling hands clenched tightly at her sides, Alex could only watch with growing horror as they lashed out at Murphy, shoving him to the ground even as he tried, and failed, to fight back. There were jeers and shrieks of victory as beat Murphy down - striking and kicking any part of him they could reach. The simple sadism of their actions settled in her stomach like a stone.

_Is this enough for you?_ She asked herself. _How far will they have to go before you give in and help? Because if you say nothing and let this continue - he will **die** here and Charlotte will forever walk free of her crime. And no matter what he’s done, no matter how much you dislike him - Murphy’s innocent, he doesn’t deserve this._

Alex flinched when a particularly vicious boot lashed out and struck Murphy in the face, his head snapping back, a pained howl tearing from his throat before he could get his hands up around his head for protection. Despite herself, she found her feet taking a step forwards as Murphy attempted to curl in on himself, only to be stopped by a firm hand curling around her upper arm, holding her back. Looking back, she stared wide-eyed at Bellamy who’d grabbed her, but he simply shook his head in response, his gaze never leaving Murphy’s cowering form. His hand not leaving her arm.

She had to look away, her vision blurring as guilt ate at her insides like acid.

“No!” Clarke cried out from where she was attempting to push her way through the crowd and reach Murphy. “No, stop! Get off him!” The only reaction she received was a harsh shove in return, sending her stumbling back

Alex was wrong if she thought that things couldn’t get worse, as Connor, who had disappeared earlier, reappeared, looking triumphant. In his hand was a homemade noose made from the scraps of the dropship safety harnesses.

“Float the bastard!” Connor hollered, and the surrounding delinquents roared their approval when he chucked the makeshift noose to the guys pinning the bloody and beaten Murphy, face shoved into the mud below.

It didn’t take them long to have Murphy bound, gagged and strung up, his feet standing precariously on the edge a metal box which had been shoved beneath him - the only thing stopping him from falling, besides the thin cord around his neck.

As Alex stared up at Murphy, the cheers of the crowd around her sounded far away, as if a glass wall was separating her from the rest. She could see the terror in Murphy’s eyes as they frantically darted around, looking for someone, _anyone_ who would stop what was about to happen. His gaze met hers for no more than a second, before he looked away.

_Are you really going to let this happen…._ _Can you live with yourself knowing that he died because you couldn’t bring yourself to face the truth?_ She asked herself.   _No, he’s a loose cannon._ She reminded herself. _There’s no telling when he would end up hurting someone. Like Clarke said - he’s had no problem threatening people’s lives._ Then why did the thought of Murphy taking the blame makes her feel sick to her stomach? _Because he hasn’t done anything to deserve this. Am I going to let him die for a crime that he didn’t commit?_

Her gaze slid past a group of delinquents and landing on a panicked looking Charlotte, who stood on the opposite side of the clearing. The young girl was trembling as she stared up at Murphy with wide eyes. _Does she know that if Murphy dies today, that this is on her - no - on us? Our silence will be his death penalty, and we will have to live with the consequences,_ she thought bitterly.

Next to her, Clarke whirled to face Bellamy, looking up at him pleadingly. “You need to stop this! You _can_ stop this! They’ll listen to you!”

Even as she pleaded with him, Connor came out of the crowd towards them. “Bellamy!” he greeted, eyes wide with excitement. “I think you should do it! Be-lla-my! Be-lla-my!” he continued, and the surrounding delinquents once again took up his chant.

Stunned that Connor would even suggest it, Alex turned to face Bellamy who stood frozen beside her, his expression carefully blank. When he showed no immediate interest in Connor’s idea, she felt a sliver of relief wash through her - he’d never done anything to indicate that he had blood on his hands. It was stupid of Connor to suggest it. Bellamy simply wasn’t a killer. But her relief was short lived. As the chanting grew louder, Bellamy’s doubt seemed to fade away entirely.

When he stepped forward, moving towards Murphy, her jaw dropped as she stared at him, the sinking feeling growing in her stomach.

_What the hell are you doing?_ She wanted to call out to him, to reached out and pull him back, shake some sense into him, but her feet were frozen to the ground. Her body unresponsive to her commands.

Moving forward, his expression was steely, looking like he was trying his best to bury any emotions he had of the situation deep within himself. Those standing before him cheered, clapping him on the back in approval, even as they parted like a wave to let him through.

Clarke didn’t seem to share Alex’s problem of frozen feet and leapt in front of Bellamy, shoving her hands forcefully against his chest, as she blocked his path. “Bellamy, stop. I saw you with Atom. I know you’re not a killer,” she said, words tumbling from her lips in panic. The only reaction he gave was to grip her wrists and firmly move her out of the way as he moved towards Murphy’s panicked form. “Bellamy, don’t do this! You can’t do this!”

_He won’t do it. He won’t do it._ Alex thought numbly, staring after him. _He **can’t** do it._

As Bellamy approached him, Murphy’s struggles renewed in their vigor, although he only caused himself to choke on the cord wrapped around his throat. He was staring at Bellamy, shaking his head, trying to stop him, his pleading, his _beggin_ g, muffled by his gag.

She was wrong. Clarke was wrong.

Bellamy _could_ do it.

To the cheers of the crowd, Bellamy reached Murphy and without any hesitation lashed out, shoving the box out from under Murphy’s feet with one swift kick.

“Mmph!” Murphy dropped. The cord snapping taut around his neck, halting his descent with a jolt. his feet still half a meter from the ground. He instantly began to flail around, legs kicking and arms straining against their binding as searching for any way to relieve the pressure around his neck, even as he choked and gagged.

“No!” Clarke leapt forward with a cry of rage, shoving at Bellamy. “How could you?!”

A snarl crossed Bellamy’s face as he whirled around to face her. “This is on you, Princess! If you had kept your mouth shut, none of this would have happened!!”

It was at that moment that a horrified looking Finn stumbled into the clearing, staring at Murphy’s form with wide eyes. “What the hell are you doing?!” He shouted, desperately pushing through the crowd, trying to get to Murphy. “Cut him down!”

Like most of the surrounding group, Alex couldn’t take her eyes off of Murphy’s form, the kicking and flailing already beginning to slow down as he suffocated, his face turning a deep shade of purple.

_He’s dying._ The simple realization jolted through her like an electric shock, the world suddenly snapping into focus. Becoming super aware of the chatter around her, of Murphy’s body jerking as it searched for air, of her own quivering hands.

Hands that had already spilt blood. Hand that were stained red.

Before Alex realized it, her feet were carrying her through the crowd, desperately shoving people out of the way as she rushed forward.

“Stop! Cut him down! It wasn’t him! He didn’t kill Wells!” Her voice cut through the cheer like a knife. Those closest to her, including Finn, Connor, Bellamy and Clarke, whirled around to face her in shock.

“What?” Bellamy demanded, frowning at her. “What do you mean?”

“I said - cut. him. down. It wasn’t him!” Alex repeated forcefully, pushing past them.

“Then who was it?” Connor demanded as she went by. Ignoring him, she continued to move towards Murphy, deciding that if no one else would cut him down, she’d do so herself.

As she moved past Finn, she met his gaze, and noted the worry on his face. Sensing her urgency, he dove forward with renewed vigor, grabbing onto Murphy’s legs and attempting to lift whatever weight he could, trying to alleviate the pressure on Murphy’s neck.

Alex went to move forward to help, when a hand latched onto her wrist and yanked her around, stopping her movement. Frustrated, she turned to face the culprit with a snarl Connor stared back at her suspiciously, grip tight.

Alex opened her mouth to deliver a scathing reply about how they didn’t have any _fucking_ _time_ , not when Murphy was _dying_ , when a small body shoved its way between her and Connor.

“Stop! Just stop!” Charlotte cried out, tears openly rolling down her face as she attempted to shove Connor away, who stared down at her blankly, but released Alex's wrist. “It was me, I did it! I killed Wells!”

Charlotte’s admission dropped on the crowd like a bomb, the chants fading away to stunned silence.

“Oh, my God,” whispered Clarke, staring at Charlotte with disbelieving eyes.

“Someone cut him down!” Finn barked out, breaking the silence, grunting from where he was holding up Murphy’s full weight. It took a couple of seconds, then Octavia leapt forward, makeshift blade in hand, and slashed the rope holding Murphy up.

No longer held up, Murphy crashed heavily to the ground, his full weight taking Finn down with him.

Finn was quick to push Murphy off him, turning the other boy over so he could loosen the cord that was still digging tightly into his neck, his other hand pulling the gag out of his mouth and the bindings from his hands.

Alex wasn’t the only one holding their breath as they stared at Murphy’s prone form, wondering if they had been too late after all.

For a long second, Murphy was completely unmoving. Then with a heave, a ragged gasp tore from his throat before began coughing violently, hands weakly reaching up to protectively cover his bruised throat.

With a huge sigh, Finn leaned back on his hands, body sagging in relief.

_Thank God._ Alex thought as she released the breath she’d been holding, some of the tension sliding off her shoulders before another replaced it. Glancing down, she gave Charlotte a stunned look. “Charlotte…” She began and then trailed off, not sure of what to say. Not sure what to _think_.

_That she was brave to admit her guilt? That she’s doing the right thing? That everything will be alright?_ Alex couldn’t bring herself to do any of them. She didn’t know what would happen next.

At her hesitation, the young girl reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze, her face looking much older than it should at the age of twelve. She looked tired. Resigned to her fate.

Alex sighed. Before she could even begin to contemplate what they should do, a hand landed heavily on her shoulder and pulled her around.

She was almost unsurprised when she turned and came face to face with Bellamy’s dark, accusing glare.

“You knew?” he demanded, jaw clenching.

The betrayal in his voice made her wince. Swallowing, she licked her lips. “Yeah...” she said softly. “I knew.” Saying it out loud only made everything feel worse.

For a long second, he stared down at her, the disbelief on his face fading to an angry glare. Wordlessly he turned and stormed away, shoving his way through the surrounding crowd. She could only watched him walk away, feeling almost numb except for the dull ache in her chest. She knew that this set things back between them. They were back to square one.

_What did you expect?_ She asked herself, feeling exhausted. _Your silence nearly resulted in him taking an innocent boy’s life. You deserve his scorn. You deserve worse than that._

Forcefully turning away from the direction he’d gone, her gaze landed on the remnants of the noose that not long ago had nearly been the end of Murphy’s life.

Resolve slowly grew in her.

She would not let Charlotte suffer the same fate as Murphy.

Not if she had any say in it.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Bellamy’s tent was one of the few places where they could go to get away from prying eyes. When she’d ducked through the entrance earlier, she’d been met with wary glances from Clarke and Finn and a cold look from Bellamy. Charlotte sagged in relief. Luckily, no one seemed to have a problem with her being there. They knew she was part of this mess just as much as the rest of them, if not more, and she needed to help them figure out what the _hell_ they were going to do.

So far, it wasn’t going well.

The silence in the tent was tense. Clarke and Finn stood side-by-side across from her and Charlotte, postures rigid, arms folded tightly across their chests. Bellamy paced back and forth across the dirt floor, glaring down at the space in front of him, hands clenching and unclenching, showing his agitation.

The atmosphere was sharply contrasted to the sounds piercing the thin tent walls, where an enraged Murphy prowled around the outside the tent, the sounds of his displeasure only adding to the tension.

It hadn’t taken him long to get back on his feet. Alex would have been more impressed if he hadn’t instantly clued into what had happened and who was actually responsible for his near execution. He wanted Charlotte. And as he’d reminded them more than once since he started talking again. No, _shouting_ again: he wanted her _dead._

Fortunately, for the moment, Murphy seemed deterred by the fact that Charlotte was surrounded by people who might fight back if he tried to make a move on her life, as he hadn’t made a move to come in the tent. Yet.

“Bring out the girl, Bellamy!” Murphy shouted, his voice hoarse, though his rage was clear.

They were running out of time.

Leaning against a makeshift table, Alex tensed at the sound of his voice. Not for the first time she expected him to come storming in the tent. She was surprised he had waiting even this long.

Beside her, Charlotte jumped in her seat, eyes wide as she stared at the flap of the tent which made the door.

Alex was too tense to feel more than just the faint echo of pity for the young girl. She knew she would do whatever she could to keep Murphy away from her, but the pity she felt for her was shallow at best.

Charlotte had chosen her path.

Every crime deserved punishment. And Charlotte had done more than enough to deserve it.

But like _hell_ was Alex going to let Murphy be the one to determine the punishment.

He may have been innocent of killing Wells, but that didn’t stop him from being a sadistic, vengeful bastard. If given the chance, she didn’t doubt that Murphy would gut the girl. With that sick smirk etched on his face.

_Not going to happen._

“Why, Charlotte?” Bellamy finally asked as he paced, running his hands through his hair in agitation, shoulders tense.

Charlotte seemed to sink into herself at the question. “I-I was just trying to slay my demons….like you said,” she answered meekly, cringing away from him.

Bellamy froze at her words, turned to stare down at the young girl like she’d suddenly sprouted another head.

“What...what the hell is she talking about?” Clarke demanded, giving Charlotte a disbelieving glare before turning to Bellamy for a response. Finn stood slightly behind her, face carefully blank as he watched the conversation. He hadn’t said a word since they’d walked in.

“She misunderstood me,” Bellamy said in explanation, sounding defensive. Shaking his head, he glared at Clarke in frustration before turning back to accused girl. “Charlotte, you misunderstood me. That’s not what I meant,” he said, his voice taking on a more pleading tone.

Clarke suddenly whirled on Alex, eyes narrowed. “You couldn’t have tried to stop her from any of this?”

Alex’s eyebrows shot up at the unexpected accusation, before narrowing into slits glare back at her. Clenching her jaw, she took a deep breath before replying. “Believe it or not, I didn’t know about this until earlier today,” she bit out, trying to keep her tone even.

_It makes sense that they would question you. You did keep Charlotte’s guilt a secret, no matter what you say._

“And you didn’t say anything?” Bellamy questioned, giving her the same dark expression he’d given her earlier. He didn’t believe her.

Frustrated, Alex stepped forward, unfolding her arms, meeting his gaze head on. Challenging. “What did you expect me to say? ‘Oh, hey, I know who killed Wells. And by the way, it was _Charlotte_ ,” she said sarcastically before giving a dark laugh. “Yeah. _That_ would have gone over super well.”

“You could have stopped it!” Clarke said.

“What?” Alex blinked at her in disbelief, before her expression darkened. “You mean when I _tried_ to stop you from accusing Murphy in the first place?” She said, frustration creeping into her voice. Clarke clenched her jaw in response. “I _tried_ to stop you. I did. But you were so determined to accuse Murphy of _anything_ that you. wouldn’t. listen,” she spat back. “So don’t accuse me of doing nothing. If you’d taken a second to actually listen to what I’d said then none of this would have happened,” she finished, echoing Bellamy’s earlier accusation.

She felt momentarily satisfied when Clarke flinched at her accusation, knowing she was right. From next to Clarke, Finn stood straighter, narrowed his eyes in her direction in warning. Alex ignored him.

“You still could have said _something_ before things got out of hand. You knew the entire time - stood there and watched - and decided to do nothing?” Bellamy said, voice dripping with skepticism.

“And what?” She questioned angrily, stepping forward to glare up to him. “Have the mob out there turn on Charlotte instead? Is that what you wanted - to kick the crate out from under her feet _instead_ of Murphy’s?”

The silence that followed her statement was painfully tense.

Alex swallowed the welling of guilt that came with the hardening of Bellamy’s expression, almost wishing she could take back the words as they left her mouth. She knew it was a low blow - she suspected Bellamy was dealing with some form of guilt for having kicked the table out from under the wrong person, and here she’d gone and rubbed some salt in it.

But she’d needed to make a point. She would do it again if she had to.

For a long moment the stared at each other. Bellamy’s jaw ticked as he glared down at her, fists clenched at his sides. He hadn’t dignified her with a response.

“Bring the girl out!” Murphy demanded. “Or things are going to get _real_ nasty.” As Murphy reminded them all that he was still eagerly waiting outside, Alex finally broke her gaze away as Charlotte whimpered.

She could hear the promise in Murphy’s words and didn’t doubt him for a second. He was out for blood.

Taking a step away from Bellamy, Alex took a deep breath through her nose in an attempt to rein in her anger. Snapping at each other's throats right now wasn’t helping anyone.

She wet her lips before breaking the silence. “Look,” she began, keeping her tone even, meeting each of their gazes in turn. “We can play the blame game as much as we want later on, when all this shit’s over. I think we can all agree that _all_ of us could have done things differently - but none of that’s going to help us _right. now_ ,” she said, sounding tired to her own ears. “Can we at least put our heads together to figure out what the hell we’re going to do about _this_ ,” she waved a hand out in the direction Murphy’s voice had come from. “Before we have another body on our hands?” she finished,

While the tension in the tent didn’t completely evaporate, there seemed to be a shift.

She knew this argument wasn’t over yet.

Finally, Bellamy huffed, then nodded. “She’s right,” he said, not looking in her direction, instead focusing on Clarke and Finn. “Now’s not the time. We need to figure this out. So, if anyone has any bright ideas, speak up now.”  

For a second none of them spoke.

When Finn cleared his throat and stepped forward, all eyes turned to him expectantly. Alex was a little surprised - since he’d cut Murphy down, he’d kept his thoughts to himself.

“I think I have an idea,” he began slowly, keeping his voice low and motioning them all forward. “But if we want this to work, we’re going to have to be quick...and quiet.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The plan was simple. Finn would sneak Clarke and Charlotte out the back and head to a bunker Finn had found while exploring earlier in the day, while Bellamy and Alex distracted Murphy, giving the trio as much time as they could to get away before Murphy realized what was really going on.

Listening to Murphy’s angry rant outside, Alex had a moment of doubt. She wasn’t sure how long they _would_ be able to manage to distract him.

_Murphy might be batshit crazy, but no one has ever called him stupid._

As Finn began pulling up the edge of the tent so that they could slide underneath, Alex turned to the wide-eyed Charlotte, taking note of how scared the girl looked. Leaning down until she was eye level, she tried to give her what she hoped was a reassuring expression and not the grimace that it actually felt like.

“Hey, things are going to be fine. We’re not going to let Murphy get you,” she told her firmly. “Just make sure you stay with Clarke and Finn, and they’ll get you somewhere safe, okay? And make sure you do what they say,” she added.

When Charlotte gave her a shaky nod in response, she stood up and patted her shoulder before moving to the entrance of the tent, where Bellamy stood. Charlotte joined the other two on the opposite side, where Finn was holding up the edge of the fabric, Clarke already on the other side.

Coming to a stop next the Bellamy, Alex took a steadying breath, mentally and physically preparing herself to face a rampaging Murphy, knowing there would be nothing pleasant about it..

Despite feeling like she was about to march into a warzone, she couldn’t ignore the tense silence between her and Bellamy. Biting her lip, she contemplated trying to apologize, but could tell by the set of his shoulders and the way he’d angled himself away from her that he didn’t want to talk.

So she stayed silent and instead glanced over her shoulder to see Charlotte shoot her one last worried look before ducking out. She exchanged a nod with Finn, before he followed suit.

Once Clarke and the other’s had slipped away, and Alex felt like they’d given them a decent enough head start - and the silence began to make her uncomfortable - she braced herself.

“Let’s get this shit over with,” she said and pushed passed the drape that stood as a door.

Despite his silence, Bellamy was a reassuring presence at her back.

As they stepped out of the tent, she noted how the crowd hadn’t really moved too much from where they’d been earlier, most looking keen to see how things were going to play out. They had, however, left a large space between them, where Murphy was prowling.

For a brief second she was reminded of the cat that had attacked them when they were trying to rescue Jasper. Angry. Impatient. Deadly.

Hearing their approach Murphy stopped pacing and turned to greet them with a sneer, giving Alex her first sight of how rough he actually looked. The area where ropes had dug into the soft tissue of his neck was already starting to turn a blotchy purple red, the swelling becoming apparent. His eyes were bloodshot, and the area around them bruised and bloody from the beating he’d received from the other delinquents.

She pushed back the guilt the sight caused her. This was better than the alternative. This was better than death.

“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to join us,” he commented, sarcasm practically dripping from his voice as he marched towards them. “Now, where’s the girl?”

Bellamy stepped forward, placing himself half between her and Murphy, extending an arm to keep the other boy from moving forward any more than he had. “Dial it down and back off,” Bellamy warned him.

Murphy scoffed a laugh, tilting his head with a glare. “Or what?” he challenged, chest pushing against Bellamy’s hand. “What are you going to do about it - hang me?”

Bellamy flinched at the accusation, dropping his arm. “I was just giving the people what they wanted,” he said in his defense, keeping his voice low.

“Oh, really?” Murphy asked sarcastically, before his expression turned more agreeable. “Actually, you know what, that’s a good idea! Why don’t we do that _right now_?” He turned away from them to gaze at the surrounding spectators. Her and Bellamy shared a brief glance, wondering what Murphy was up to. “So,” Murphy continued, raising his voice. “Who here wants to see the _real_ murderer strung up? All in favor?” he asked, raising his hand in the air.

The silence that followed his question was awkward and tense. Several people shifted on their feet and exchanged glances. But other than a hesitant Mbege, and the few others who’d followed Murphy’s lead since day one, nobody raised their hands.

Alex could practically feel the fury radiating from Murphy as he glared around the clearing.

“Oh, I see,” Murphy seethed. “So, you string me up for _nothing_? But when that little bitch _confesses_ , you let her walk?!” he screamed at the crowd. “Cowards! All of you are cowards!”

Bellamy stepped forwards his hands almost raised in surrender. “Hey, Murphy!” he barked and Murphy whirled around to face him with a snarl. “Murphy, it’s over. It’s done.”

Murphy glared at him for a long moment, hatred visible on his features and Alex wondered if he was going to lash out at Bellamy. But then, as she watched, his features relaxed as if the fight had left him completely.

Alex frowned as she watched him. _What? He’s giving up? Just like that?_ She didn’t believe it for a second.

Then Murphy nodded, shrinking away from Bellamy. Conceding. “Okay, boss. Whatever you say.”

His agreement set alarms off in her head. There was absolutely _no way_ he would just let this slide. His anger, his _hatred_ , had been all too real a second ago.

Bellamy eyed him for a second, then seemed to take his words at face value. “Okay,” he replied in relief, giving him a nod. Then promptly turned his back on Murphy.

_What is he doing?!_

Murphy face instantly shifted to nasty smirk as he stared a Bellamy’s back. Before Alex could take more than a gasp of breath to shout out a warning, Murphy had picked up a branch and stepped forward, slamming it over the back of Bellamy’s head.

“Bellamy!” Alex gasped, echoing Octavia’s scream. They both leapt forward, Alex trying to catch him as he crumpled to the ground; Octavia aiming for Murphy back.

Murphy was quick to react, whirling to face Octavia, even as she was yanked back by Jasper, who Murphy promptly punched in the face, sending him crashing to the ground.

Octavia dodged around them both, darting to Bellamy’s side.

Kneeling down next to him, Alex began to roll him over, as Octavia crouched down on his other side. Both of them letting out a breath of relief when they saw he was already moving, reaching up to touch the back of his head with a pained groan. His fingers came away slick with blood.

“Son of a bitch!” Murphy spat down at Bellamy as he stood over them.

Rage flared through her and her gaze snapped up to glare at him, but as she met his eyes something dark flickered across his expression.

Before she could react, Murphy leapt forwards, hand closing tightly around her throat, fingers digging painfully into the soft flesh of her neck. Even as she gave a choked cry, he yanked her up and backwards, her feet slipping out from under her as he slammed her into a nearby tree, the harsh bark biting painfully into her back.

“Oh, ho, ho,” Murphy laughed darkly, fully pressing against her, their noses almost touching as he tightened his grip, cutting off all her air. “You, Evans, are one sly bitch.”

Desperately grasping at his hand and arm, she dug her nails into his arm as she attempted to push him away, but he held on tight. When she reached for the blade in her pocket, his other hand snaked down and gripped her wrist, yanking it up between them and pinning it in place.

He tutted at her. “Doesn’t feel too great, does it?” he asked her mockingly, enjoying how she struggled to draw breath. He eyed her, cocking his head to the side. “No, you - _you_ deserve much worse. See, I _know_ you knew about what really happened. I saw you and the little bitch crying over it earlier. I hadn’t really thought about it until now. But it suddenly all makes sense! A murderer defending murder, shouldn’t really be too surprising.”

Lashing out with her free hand, she struck him across the face with enough force to snap his face to one side. Although he loosened his hold, he didn’t let go.

Coughing, she gasped for breath. “And yet—I was one of the few— who tried— to save— your _fucking_ life,” she snarled back.

Her comment gave him pause, his brow furrowing in response.

But before he had a chance to reply, he was physically hauled away from her.

The sudden absence of his grip around her throat was a welcome relief and she folded over, grasping her throat as she gasped for fresh oxygen. She glanced up expecting to see Bellamy back on his feet and standing over Murphy, but was shocked to find someone else standing between her and Murphy.

She frowned. “Nate?” she asked, unsure and surprised. What was he doing?

He said nothing in response, simply continuing to stare down at Murphy, who was staring at Miller like he couldn’t decide if it would be worth the trouble or not. Although Miller’s posture was deceptively relaxed, she knew from the set of his shoulders that he was ready to move at any second. She’d seen that posture enough time’s when he and Liam used to play and wrestle around. And she knew from watching them fight he knew what he was doing...and he was _good_.

“Back off, Murphy,” Miller stated, voice level and cool, hands still shoved in his jacket pockets.

Unfortunately, Murphy seemed to take Miller’s words as a challenge, stepping forward to stand chest to chest with him.

“Oh yeah?” Murphy sneered, nearly nose to nose with the deceptively calm Miller. “And why don’t you _make_ -”

Murphy was interrupted by the fist that slammed into his face, a sickening _snap!_ piercing the air as he went careening backwards, crashing to the ground.

Someone in the shocked crowd let out a choked laugh at the abrupt turn of events.

Miller stared him down with a frown, the hand that struck Murphy slowly dropping to his side. Then he shrugged. “I said — back off.”

Murphy gave him a bloody snarl, then spat a mouthful of blood on the ground next to him before shoving himself to his feet. He wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, smearing the blood pouring from his nose. For a second, he looked like he would charge Miller.

Then Bellamy stepped forward, placing himself near Miller, and far enough out of Murphy’s reach as he massaged the back of his head. “It’s over, Murphy.”

That finally seemed enough to deter him. “Yeah. Whatever,” Murphy said, turning to a wide-eyed Mbege. “Let’s go!” He snapped as he pushed past them, heading in the direction of Bellamy’s tent, where he still thought Charlotte was hiding out.

They let him go.

“Charlotte! Charlotte, come out!” Murphy called as he pushed into the tent. There was a small pause before he came storming back out again. Whirling around, he glared into the forest. “I know you can hear me, Charlotte!” he shouted. “When I find you, you’re going to pay! You hear me! You’re going to pay!”

Then with one final glare at the rest of them, he stormed off into the forest, Mbege and three others following reluctantly at his heels.

As soon as Murphy was out of sight, the entire group seemed to sag in relief. With the break of excitement, the spectating delinquents seemed to lose interest and began to drift away returning to their previous tasks.

Alex let out a shaky breath she’d been holding as she rubbed her throat. Turning back to Miller, she eyed him for a moment, confused about his constantly changing attitude.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

He turned to her, eyeing her before giving her a nod. “It’s not like I’m not used to saving your scrawny ass,” he said dryly, then turned and walked away.

Alex blinked, startled, watching as he joined a group of boys standing at the edge of the clearing, greeted with some excitement and firm slaps on the back.

That was the first time he’d talked to her without throwing Liam in her face.

Frowning, she shook her head, confused but still thankful for his help, then headed back towards Bellamy, who was prodding the back of his head gingerly, face set in a grimace.

“Are you okay?” she asked him tentatively, knowing that they hadn’t exactly been on talking terms before this whole mess.

He gave an unimpressed look, wincing. “I might have a headache for the rest of the day…but I should survive,” he said dryly, then frowned, shooting her a concerned look. “You?” he nodded towards her throat.

“I’ll be fine,” she shrugged off his concern. Biting her lip, she turned to stare in the direction Murphy had headed. “We should go after them,” she said.

Bellamy considered her suggestion for only a moment before shaking his head. “Not yet.” When she shot him a look, he added, “they’re heading in the wrong direction. Let those idiot wander around a bit. It’s starting to get dark anyway, so with any luck they’ll get themselves lost.”

Bellamy had a point - they _were_ going in the wrong direction. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t double back, or realize they were going the wrong way at some point. _What if they catch up to Charlotte and the others before they have a chance to get to safety?_

The uncertainty of the situation had her shaking her head in reply. “I’m going to go after them,” she told him firmly. Then hesitated. “It’s just…I need to _know_ ,” she added, more softly. “If something happens and I’m not there…”

For a long moment, he eyed her before sighing, giving her an exasperated look.

“You know…. this whole thing could have been avoided if you’d told me what was going on in the first place,” he pointed out, and although there was some accusation in his voice, it didn’t hold the same anger as last time.

She cringed. “I know,” she said, sounding far more defensive than she’d intended to. “It wasn’t...it wasn’t supposed to go like that.” When he continued eyeing her, she tensed, frowning up at him. “Look - I’m not asking for permission. I’m going after them with or without you,” she groused, then turned on her heel and headed in the direction Murphy and his gang had gone.

She could do this on her own.

It didn’t take him more than a second to catch up with her. He rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he stated. “From what Miller says, you’re bound to get into trouble one way or another anyway.”

She shot him a dirty look in response. “He only used to get me _out_ of trouble that he caused in the first place,” she grumbled.

He shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. “Yes, because since we’ve landed you haven’t got in trouble _at all_ ,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “And I’m pretty damn sure Miller wasn’t around for any of _that_.”

Despite the situation, Alex couldn’t help the twitch her lips gave at the comment, before reminding herself that Charlotte might need them. Hardening her expression, she took a deep breath and ducked into the forest, Bellamy on her heels.

_Murphy will kill Charlotte if he finds her first._

They had a job to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and let me know what you think! Love hearing your input! :)


	22. Chapter 22

The afternoon sun hadn’t taken long to dip behind the nearby mountains throwing the forest around them into darkness, the sliver of moonlight barely giving them enough light to see. It proved to be both a blessing and a curse: it made it easier to track the glow of Murphy’s torch in the dim light, allowing her and Bellamy to stay safely out of sight. Unfortunately, it also turned the forest floor into a deadly obstacle course of ankle-breaking holes and sharp branches that seemed ready to impale them if and when they fell.

Alex bit back a curse as her foot caught on an unseen root for what felt like the hundredth time that night, sending her stumbling and fighting to regain her balance on the uneven forest floor. Gritting her teeth, she did her best to keep an eye out, but worried that if she took her eyes off Murphy for more than a second, she would lose him in the dark.

They’d been following him for what felt like hours, and so far he’d been unrelenting in his hunt.

She’d been hoping that as night fell he would lose some of his steam, that he would decide that Charlotte was simply not worth the effort, and wander back to camp.

However, if there was one thing she’d come to learn about John _-bloody_ -Murphy, it was that he was a determined son-of-a-bitch and he didn’t give up easy.

Besides, when had she ever been so lucky?

Murphy prowled on ahead, his rage evident in every stride, head darting one way and another, snarl firmly set on his bruised and battered face.

_What happens when he_ doesn’t _stop? As long the two of them are sharing the same space, he’s going to keep going. He’ll never be happy until he has her head... One of them has to go..._ She gnawed on the inside of her lip, the thought leaving her queasy. Staring at the distant flicker of the fire, her thoughts took a darker turn. _What are you going to do if he keeps going? Do you have the strength to stop him?_

“He’s not going to stop…” she muttered to herself.

“Stop worrying so much,” Bellamy stated quietly, voice cutting through her thoughts. He wasn’t far from her, crouched behind a tree. It was the first either of them had spoken since they’d left the chaos surrounding the dropship. “She’ll be fine.”

Licking her dry lips, she fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, knowing she couldn’t deny she was worried, before shooting him a worried look. “You can’t know that. Murphy’s persistent. He won’t stop.”

Bellamy turned and met her gaze head on; she could see the light of Murphy’s torch reflected in his eyes. “She’s with Clarke and Finn,” he pointed out with a frown, eyes momentarily flickering back to Murphy. “They’ll watch out for her.” When she didn't respond, he continued, “You don’t think it’s enough.”

“Do you?” She questioned, nodding her head to where Murphy paced, listening to him shout out for Charlotte. “He’s like a dog that’s scented blood. He won’t stop.” She shook her head. “He’s more likely to go _through_ them to get to her.”

Silence descended between them as they both continued to watch. Murphy seemed keen on staying where he was for the moment.

After a pause, Bellamy turned to her one more. “Miller mentioned that you didn’t know her on the Ark.”

She knew that Nate had sided with Bellamy early on, taking a lead in keeping things calm around the Dropship, so it would make sense for him and Bellamy to talk. But the thought of them talking about her made her uncomfortable. _What else did they talk about?_  “Yeah, and?” she asked cagily, deflecting the question, not looking at him.

He shook his head. “I just don’t get it. I mean - not that there’s anything wrong with protecting little girls - but she _did_ admit to killing Wells. Why protect her?”

She gritted her teeth in response, Wells death still raw in her mind.

“Gossiping behind my back, Blake?” she asked him, deflecting the question. “I didn’t know you and Nate were so close. Have you held hands yet?”

“Hardly.” He gave her an unimpressed look. ”Stop dodging the question.”

She turned, giving him a disbelieving frown. “Why? I don’t exactly owe you answers to anything.”

“Oh, really?” Bellamy stared turned a bit more icy in response. “And didn’t we agree that you keeping things to yourself wasn’t your best move?”

She flinched at the intentional jab, reminding her of what had happened the last time she’d kept her mouth shut about Charlotte’s guilt. He was right, at least in that regard. She should have spoken up sooner.

“It’s nothing like that,” she replied more softly, shoving aside her instinct to get defensive, shifting on her feet. “I mean - it’s just….” she drifted off, unsure, then cleared her throat. “She’s just a kid, you know? Making choices out of the bad shit she’s had to live through.” She shrugged. “Mistakes are made. It’s just not fair for them to not have someone there to watch their back because of it.”

For a moment he said nothing in response, merely studying her, his expression carefully blank. He took a deep breath. Hesitated. “Does this…” he began slowly, gaze watching her reaction intensely. “Does this have something to do with... Liam?”

The name felt like a red-hot wire had been pressed to her brain and she snapped around to face him, staring at him in shock. “What?” she breathed. Bellamy mentioning _his_ name threw her off kilter somehow, as if her thoughts had screeched to a halt.

“Come on, Evans,” he leaned towards her, studying her. All she could do was stare back. “You talk about Charlotte’s mistakes. And how she needs protecting. But don’t you think you might just be projecting your guilt onto her situation? That somehow by protecting her you’ll make up for what you did to Liam?”

The question felt like someone had poured freezing water on a fire before dousing the embers in gasoline. The cold anger spread through her like wildfire, her glare turning stone cold. Maybe if it burned hot enough it would hide the hurt that question brought.

“Shut - up,” she said, giving him a dark glare. “You don’t - you don’t know anything. _Nate_ doesn’t know _anything_ ,” her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, turning away. She had to swallow the lump that had grown in her throat, and why was her vision blurring?

After a pause he sighed. “Maybe that’s true,” he said softly. “But how will anyone know the truth if you never talk to anyone about it?” He ended, then returned to gazing out at Murphy’s group.

_He doesn’t know what he’s talking about._ She told herself repeatedly, blinking away the moisture in her eyes, eyeing Murphy and his group, before turning to look out at the forest, feeling exhausted. Maybe Murphy and his group were finished, and she could finally get some sleep.

Roughly rubbing her eyes, she then pulled her hands away from her face -

\- and froze, her hurt and anger fading away to the back of her mind. Blinking harshly for a few seconds, she wondered if somehow her mind was playing tricks on her, but after she blinked again and the image was still there, she knew what she was seeing was real.

Charlotte was walking through the forest, her form barely illuminated by the sporadic moonlight that made it through the gaps in the trees. She was heading straight towards Murphy.

_What the hell is she doing?!_

“Bellamy!” she hissed, whirling towards him, her heart in her throat, and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him to face the right direction.

There was annoyance on his face as he turned towards her, looking like he was mentally ready for a fight, but whatever he saw on her face quickly changed it to concern.

With her other hand she pointed towards Charlotte. His eyes followed the movement, before widening in shock.

“Shit,” he said quietly, and didn’t hesitate, pulling away from her and ducking through the underbrush in Charlotte’s direction, aiming to intercept her path to Murphy.

Alex hurried after him, worry and anger bubbling through her. _What is she doing here? Why isn’t she was Clarke and Finn - where the fuck_ are _Clarke and Finn?!_

It didn’t take them more than a couple of seconds to catch up to the unaware girl, and when they did Bellamy didn’t hesitate in scooping her up, one arm around her waist, the other firmly muffling the startled scream that tried to escape her.

_She probably thinks it’s Murphy!_

Alex quickly slipped in front of the panicking girl, hoping that the sight of her would reassure the young girl that she wasn’t in any danger, that they were there to help. Meeting her wide eyes, she pressed a finger to her lips. “Shhh! It’s okay Charlotte. It’s just us,” she said softly, giving her a shaky smile.

She had hoped that her words and her presence would calm the girl’s struggles so that they could move away from there quietly, but they seemed to have the opposite effect entirely; Charlotte’s struggles renewed in vigor, fighting and kicking until she finally managed to get Bellamy’s hand away from her face.

“Let me go!” she shrieked, still kicking and scratching.

Alex and Bellamy exchanged a startled glance over her head, before Charlotte drove her elbow into his side and he folded with a grunt, although he didn’t release her entirely, catching her by the arm.

Alex was stunned by her reaction. _What the hell is going on?_

“Hey, we’re - trying to help!” Bellamy grunted down at Charlotte with a grimace.

Alex tried a different approach, taking a small step towards her and trying to meet her gaze. “Charlotte, what’s wrong?” She asked, feeling concerned. “Did something happen - are you hurt?”

Charlotte exploded. “Stop trying to protect me!!” she howled before trying to throw a punch at Bellamy, who quickly dodged out of reach. “I’m _not_ your sister! And I sure as hell don’t want your help! Just leave me alone!!”

“Charlotte!” Alex hissed at her, staring at her in shock, Bellamy mirroring her. “What are you _doing_?” At the sound of a branch snapping, she snapped around to face the direction Murphy and his group were, staring in worry. “Look, we don’t have time for this now. We need to get you out of here.”

Charlotte glared at her and Alex was shocked by the venom in her gaze. “I don’t need _your_ help. Everyone you try to help ends up dead,” she spat.

Alex recoiled from her, feeling like she’d been slapped in the face.

_What...what is she trying to do? Why would she say that?_

“Charlotte!” Bellamy hissed down at her again but this time his tone was angry.

The sudden increased shout’s that came from Murphy’s direction told them they were nearly out of time.

Alex shoved back her emotions. They needed to get out of there. Now.

“Look we can deal with this later,” she told Charlotte cooly, before glancing up to Bellamy. “But we need to get out of here.”

“No!” Charlotte cried out, trying to shove away from Bellamy’s grip to no avail. “No, Murphy! Murphy - I’m over here!!” she screamed as loudly as she could.

“Dammit,” Bellamy said, lunging towards her and picking her up, making sure to cover her mouth once again. He looked worried. “We need to get out of here.”

But it was too late.

The elated shouts that shattered the quiet around them told them that they needed to move now if they were going to get away.

Alex nodded her head in a random direction, motioning for Bellamy to follow her. “Come on!” she hissed at him and ducked into the forest. Hoping that somehow this path would take them away from the storm heading this way.

_Please let this work._

Glancing over her shoulder, she eyed the direction she knew Murphy was coming from, and prayed he would somehow fall and break a leg. Or even just trip long enough to give them a head start.

She didn’t know how long they would be able to keep running.

But she had a feeling it wouldn’t be enough.

\--------------------------------------------------

Hurrying through the dark and carrying Charlotte proved to be an impossible feat when trying to outpace Murphy and his goons. Charlotte was doing everything within her power to slow them down - kicking, hitting, scratching, and at one point even biting Bellamy’s hand so she could shout out to Murphy.

Alex could tell Bellamy was quickly burning out, his patience stretched to the max as he tried to deal with the struggling girl.

_Where can we go? Try to find another cave in the darkness? Or should we head back to the dropship and hope that the rest of the delinquents will be more sympathetic to our situation, and that they’ll give us a hand?_

She was worried. As she guided them in the darkness, she tried to search for any sign of any landmark which would tell her where they were and in which direction they were heading. They were moving slightly down hill, making her wonder if they were heading towards the river she’d encountered some time ago.

_What happened to Clarke and Finn? Did they run into trouble and have to split up?_ The thought made her hyper aware that they were wandering out in the darkness, and that somewhere out there Grounders lurked.

As her mind flashed back to the image of Jasper being impaled in the chest by a spear, the deeper shadows around them, began to look more humanoid.

_Stop it! You’re not helping anyone by getting jumpy!_ She told herself furiously. _One thing at a time. Get away from Murphy. Deal with anything else as it comes up._

All they could do was keep moving.

She knew that Murphy was quickly catching up, their distance shouts slowly getting closer. He knew where they were. He was coming for them.

The only thing working in their favour was the darkness around them.

Glancing back, she met Bellamy’s exhausted gaze, before returning her gaze to the dark space before her -

-and skidded to a stop, heart leaping up into her throat. “Shit!”

The space where her next step should have been was nothing but a void, the ground below her dropping away into nothingness. She could hear Bellamy’s ragged breathing as he came to a stop just behind her.

The distant echo of the river told her it was a _long_ way down and that it wouldn’t be helping them today.

“Dammit,” she swore in frustration, taking a few steps away from the edge. _What do we do now? Where can we go?_ She hadn’t had a chance to take a breath to ask Bellamy what he thought they should do when a branch snapping behind them told her they were too late. They were trapped.

Digging her knife out of her jacket pocket she turned to face the sound.

“Char-lotte!” Murphy sang out as he stepped out from behind a tree and slowly sauntered towards them, the others not far behind.

Taking a step towards him, she placed herself between him and the others, raising the blade as he moved towards her. She was keenly aware of the blade that Murphy held casually in one hand. “That’s far enough,” she snapped, standing her ground.

He tilted his head in response, eyeing her in amusement, dangerous smirk dancing on his lips. He stopped just out of reach of her blade, the tip brushing his jacket. “Or what, Evans?” he challenged. “Going to fight us all? As I recall, last time it didn’t go well for you when it was only the two of us.”

She gritted her teeth at his mocking tone, but movements behind her distracted her.

“Put. Me. Down!” Charlotte shouted at Bellamy, who finally relented, setting her down on her feet, but kept her wrist in hand, as he eyed them warily.

“She’s not alone,” Bellamy snapped at Murphy from behind her.

“Well, the way I see it. You can either protect Charlotte. _Or_ Evans. I don’t think you’ll be able to do both,” Murphy taunted him, wagging a finger in his direction.

Bellamy seemed to know he was right. “Just go home Murphy, it’s over,” he snapped, temper flaring as he took a step towards them.

“It’s fine, Blake,” she tried to reassure him, not taking her eyes off the unpredictable boy in front of her. “Just watch Charlotte.”

Murphy made a sound of annoyance in the back of his throat. “Oh, come on! You can’t fight us all. Just hand the girl over and we can _all_ go home happy.”

“Like hell,” she snapped at him, shifting on her feet, knowing he was right. They wouldn’t be able to fight them all and protect Charlotte at the same time. It was five against the two of them.

He rolled his eyes at her response, finally raising his blade and loosely waving it in her direction. “You’re getting predictable, Evans. Why are you defending her anyway? Didn’t she kill _dear, poor_ Wells?” he mocked.

Her expression darkened and he smirked.

“Doesn’t mean I’m going to let you hurt her,” she told him bluntly.

“Then how about I make you a deal?” He cocked his head to the side as he watched her. “Since I’ve got some unfinished business with you, how about just you and me. No backup. Winner gets the girl.”

Alex could hear Bellamy shifting behind her and knew he didn’t like the idea of her fighting Murphy one-on-one. Could she do it? Fight him and win? Murphy was a dirty fighter, she knew that, but she had some of her own tricks up her sleeve.

But something about his offer bothered her. Up until now he’s been hell-bent on getting Charlotte. Why would he suddenly give them a way out? It didn’t make any sense. _If he wins, he’ll kill you. If he wins, there’s nothing stopping him from still going after Charlotte next._

_But if you fight him and win, this might be your one and only chance to make sure he goes down and stays down._

Indecision warred through her, yet she knew what she had to do.

Gritting her teeth, Alex was about to give him the affirmative when a branch snapped to her left and Clarke stumbled through the nearby bushes, Finn on her heels. They were both exhausted and out of breath, but it didn’t take them more than a second to take in the drawn knives and defensive postures.

“Alex! Murphy, stop!” Clarke ordered, shoving her way between them, pushing her knife to the side. She glared at her, then a Murphy. “Both of you calm down. We can talk this out.”

Alarm flared through Alex. _What is she_ doing _?_

Before she could shove Clarke out of the way, Murphy lashed out and wrapped an arm around Clarke, pulling her towards him. The tip of his blade came up to rest dangerously close to her throat.

They all froze.

“I’m sick of listening to you talk,” Murphy sneered at Clarke, and Alex could see the flash of nervousness that crossed her face at their close proximity, her head tilted back in an effort to keep away from the blade. He met Alex’s nervous gaze and shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry Evans, change of plans.”

“Let her go,” Finn ordered, glaring at Murphy with contempt.

Alex could feel the palms of her hands begin to sweat under the handle of her blade and resisted the urge to wipe them on her pants. Clarke’s sudden appearance had changed everything.

“Let her go,” Bellamy repeated Finn’s demands, stepping towards them slowly. He had finally let go of Charlotte, who now stood frozen behind them.

“Ah, ah, ah, stay where you are,” Murphy said, shooting Bellamy a warning glare, and pressed the blade closer to Clarke’s throat. “I _will_ slit her throat.”

“No, don’t!” Charlotte blurted out, eyes wide as she stared at them. “Please don’t hurt her!”

“Don’t hurt her?” Murphy eyed her, then shrugged. “Okay, new deal. You come with me right now and I’ll let her go. Simple as that.”

Alex’s heart dropped to her stomach. “No,” she said immediately, keeping her voice carefully even, despite the heavy feeling of trepidation in her gut. “Murphy, let Clarke go. We can talk about this.”

He sneered at her. “I’m _done_ talking. This is just how things are going to be. You don’t have to like it. In fact, I don’t particularly _care_ how you feel about this,” he shrugged, returning his attention to Charlotte. “I swear that if you don’t come here _right now_ , Clarke will be graced with a brand new smile.” He pressed the blade closer to Clarke’s throat. “And it won’t be pretty.”

“No!” Charlotte cried out, taking a halting step forward, and Alex shifted herself to stand in her way. She wouldn’t let her get to Murphy. “Please, don’t hurt her.”

“Charlotte, stay where you are!” Alex said, shooting her a warning glare. “Murphy, that’s enough. Clarke isn’t part of this!”

“She became part of this when she tried to protect that little _bitch_ ,” he snapped back.

Her jaw clicked shut at his response and she stared at him, desperation beginning to well up inside her. What could she do? How could she change this?

Charlotte or Clarke? The young girl who’d made a mistake or the girl who’d had no part in any of this?

She was stuck, aware that Murphy had the upper hand this time and there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing any of them could do about it.

She swallowed at the wave of despair that washed through her, heartbeat extra loud in her ears, almost clouding her thoughts. She couldn’t imagine any scenario that didn’t end in bloodshed.

_Stop it! Panicking isn’t going to help anyone right now!_

“Stop!” Charlotte shouted from behind them all, and they turned to face her. Her cheeks were wet with tears; her angry glare was firmly set on Murphy. “Please, just stop!”

“You want it to stop? Well, you know what to do,” he said pointedly, using his knife to wave her forward, his other arm still firmly wrapped around Clarke's shoulders.

Alex expected Charlotte to do as he requested, but was surprised when she shook her head, taking a step away from them all instead.

“No!” she said, shaking her head, braid whipping around at the harsh movement. “This is not happening! I can’t let any of you get hurt anymore! Not because of me!”

The pain in her voice tore at Alex’s heart.

Charlotte met her gaze, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. “It won’t happen because of me,” she repeated, voice soft and full of pain.

Then she turned and leapt, throwing herself into the void behind her.

Time slowed to a stop around her; one horrifying second that seemed to drag on forever, highlighted by the crystalline clarity of everything around her.

At the same time, she felt like she was no longer within her own body, like she was witnessing something, very, very far away. She was frozen in place.

Watching something that couldn’t be happening to her.

_What...what just -_

_She - she just...jumped?_

Then like an elastic band snapping back into place, she was back in her body, able to breath. Able to move.

She dove for the edge - hoping, praying, pleading - for something _._ Anything.

_She’s down there - just out of sight! You - you can get her!_

The absolute darkness in front of her terrified her.

Before she could follow, two arms wrapped themselves around her middle, hauling her up and away from the edge. Pulling her tightly against a firm chest.

“No!” she howled, pulling and prying, but the arms that held her wouldn’t budge. “No, let me go! Let me go! She’s right there.” she cried out fighting as much as she could, but her muscles were useless, her body lacking the energy to fight.

Bellamy held her tight, slowly sinking to the floor with her still in his arms, until she was half sitting in his lap.

“Let - me go. She - she’s -” Alex gasped and trembled, her lungs burning, her heart thundering in her own ears. It felt like all the oxygen in the world was no longer enough.

Bellamy was shaking his head, and his voice slowly came into focus over the thundering in her own head. “She’s gone. Alex, she’s gone,” he said softly in her ear, chin nearly pressed against the crook of her neck as he fought to keep her down, to keep her from following Charlotte off the edge.

It was as if someone had cut all the strings holding her up and Alex sagged against him, a pained moan building somewhere deep in her chest, before a choked sob escaped her.

_She’s gone. She’s gone. She’s gone._ Bellamy’s words repeated over and over in her head.

Curling in on herself, she pressed the heels of her palms tightly against her eyes until she was seeing bright colours and stars. Each ragged breath tore though her chest, echoing the pain she felt.

The others stood in stunned silence around them, shocked at the sudden change of events.

“Why, why, why?” she choked, hardly recognizing her own voice. Her chest burned, desperate for air. A shuddering gasp escaped her. Then another.

The silence around her was the only answer she would get.

_Why did you do it?!_ She wanted to scream at the young girl. _You just….she just..._ She couldn’t bring herself to think the words, the image of Charlotte jumping seared into her mind. But with her eyes closed it was all she could see.

With a sharp breath she opened her eyes, hands that had been covering her eyes wiping the damp tears from her face.

_It’s done. She’s gone. You were too late to save her,_ the cynical voice inside her head told her. _Charlotte was right after all, anyone you try to help winds up dead._

Self loathing filled her and she pulled away from Bellamy. For a second, his arms resisted her movement before relaxing and allowing her to slip away. With shaky arms, she pushed herself to her feet.

Looking up, her gaze landed on Murphy.

The sight of him sent a hot wave of rage and hatred through her, burning like acid through her veins. Why did he get to stand there when Charlotte would never get another chance?

_This is all his fault...HE’s the reason she did this!_

A raw scream of rage tore from her throat as she launched herself at Murphy, ignoring the knife in his hand, slammed her full bodyweight into him, sending them both crashing to the ground. Murphy gave a breathless sound of surprise as they landed, dropping his knife in the process.

Scrambling on top of him, she quickly straddled his chest, pinning his arms under her knees.

Before he could react, she slammed her a fist into his mouth, his head snapping to the side at the force, his blood smearing her knuckles.

Her other fist found his eye, the hard bone of his brow splitting her knuckles, and she forced herself to ignore the sharp pain rippling up her arm.

She punched him again. And again. Her body filled with a single cold certainty: she was going to kill him. Today Murphy was going to die.

Time had slowed to a crawl around her, although it couldn’t have been longer than a couple of seconds before Murphy got over the shock of being attacked, and began fighting back.

With a bloody snarl, he bucked his hips, throwing her off balance enough to free one of his arms, which instantly reached up and knotted in her hair. She gasped in pain as he yanked her head painfully to the side, hard enough that she could feel her hair tearing at the roots.

She was ready for him.

When the cool metal of her knife bit into the soft flesh of Murphy’s neck, he froze, staring up at her in shock.

She panted above him, glaring down hatefully into his eyes. Although he tried to hide it, she could see that he was nervous, and as she increased the pressure of her blade on his neck, he slowly released his grip he had on her hair, doing his best to lean as far away from the blade as the ground beneath him would allow. Her other hand gripped his jacket tightly.

“I _hate_ you, you piece of shit,” she said, chest heaving, tone scathing. She pressed the blade until it broke skin and blood began to well at the tip. “I should have let you hang,” she voice cracked, her eyesight blurring with angry tears. Her hands shook and she took a shuddering breath. “I should have let you hang.”

Murphy didn’t say a word.

His lack of response only made her angrier.

“I should kill you,” she told him, baring her teeth at him. Blood was beginning to run down the side of his face from his split lip and eyebrow.

“Then do it,” Murphy rasped, glaring back at her defiantly.

Alex caught movement out of the corner of her eye, as Clarke cautiously crouched down beside her, giving her a worried look.

“Alex, stop!” Clarke said firmly. “That’s enough. You don’t want to do this.”

“Yes. I do,” she replied, not looking at the other girl. “He deserve it. It’s - It’s his fault. It’s all his fault.” Her voice caught in her throat. Her hand trembled and Murphy flinched beneath her.

“I know, I know,” Clarke said soothingly. “And it hurts. Believe me, I _know_ that.” She said with pained eyes, and Alex was suddenly reminded that Clarke had also lost someone in all this.

_Wells._ Another ache shot through her chest at the thought of the boy who thought this was place was going to be better than the Ark; that _they_ would be better. The boy who’d lost his life because a little girl’s parents had been unfairly taken from her.

“We- we can’t keep doing this,” Clarke said, almost pleading as she motioned to Murphy. “A life for a life is _never_ going to work, it just turns into an endless, bitter cycle, and nobody _ever_ wins.”

She knew Clarke was right, but that didn’t make anything easier. If she let Murphy go, he would hurt someone else. Not today. Not tomorrow. But one day when they were least expecting it he would return and slit their throats in their sleep.

Wells...Charlotte. Could she add to the list? _Should_ she do it, if not for Charlotte, then for their own safety?

“We can’t - _I_ can’t just let him go.” Alex told her, feeling desperate. “What happens when he hurts someone else?”

When Clarke opened her mouth to answer, Bellamy interrupted her with a glare. “Please don’t say that the people have the right to decide.”

“No! Look I was wrong before, okay?” Clarke rushed to tell them with a wince. “You were right. Sometimes it’s dangerous to tell people the truth.”

“So what? We lock him up? Throw away the key? Pretend none of this ever happened?” Alex demanded, using her other hand to push on Murphy’s chest when he shifted underneath her. “Don’t,” she barked down at him, knife still at his throat. “I still haven’t decided if you're going to live yet.”

He stilled.

Silence followed her statement.

“If you kill him, you’ll just be proving everyone right about you,” Finn stated from where he stood off to the side.

Her gaze snapped over to stare at him. “What?”

His stare was challenging. “If you kill him, you’ll just prove what everyone thought all along. That you’re a murderer. That it’s okay to seek revenge.” He eyed her. “Is that really what you want to be known for?”

Alex stared at him in shock, then glanced down at Murphy, eyes landing on her hands, which were red and slick with blood. His and her own.

“We can’t just let him go.”

“Then we banish him,” Clarke offered, looking between each of them. “From now on we need rules. Stuff like this needs punishment. But we _won’t_ float people for crimes. We aren’t on the Ark anymore. Let’s act like it.”

“And who makes those rules, huh? You?” Bellamy challenged.

“No, from now on _we_ make the rules,” Clarke said, glancing between Alex and Bellamy and Finn. “We make decisions together. Okay?”

Bellamy gave a slow nod in response, looking thoughtful.

With Bellamy’s agreement, Clarke turned back to Alex, reaching out and touching her arm. “We banish him,” she told her firmly.

Alex gave her a short nod, before leaning down so that she was nearly nose to nose with Murphy.

He stared back at her, smugly raising an eyebrow in response.

She gritted her teeth. “I guess you get to live another day,” she told him, hate seeping into her voice. “But if I _ever_ catch you around camp again. If I see you or hear you. That’ll be your last, do you understand?” When he did nothing but glare back at her, she pushed the blade tighter against his skin and he relented with a wince and nodded. “Good.”

With that she reluctantly shoved herself backwards and onto her feet, stepping out of reach as he slowly followed suit, the downed boy glaring up at her hatefully. Once on his feet, he reached up and used the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his face, which only served to smear it around.

Bellamy came to stand next to her, stared coolly at the other boy.  “Get out of here, Murphy. Before we change our mind.” He then turned to the boys that had followed Murphy’s lead in hunting Charlotte. “You guys can either head back to camp, or go off with him to die. Your choice,” he barked at them.

For a moment, no one moved, then with one last glare, Murphy turned on his heel and stumbled into the darkness, quickly vanishing out of sight. No one else moved.

“Let’s get back to camp,” Bellamy said exhaustion evident in his voice.

As the others slowly began shuffling in the direction of the Dropship, Alex stayed put, numbly staring off in the direction that Murphy had headed.

Her breath hitched as something inside her cracked and crumbled, a choked sob escaping her before she could stop it.

Taking a shuddering breath, she brought her hands up to wipe her face, then froze, staring at them through blurred vision.

Her hands were trembling, stained red, knuckles split, blood seeping from the torn skin.

Unsteady legs crumpled beneath her and she sagged to the floor, staring at her hands that were once again covered in blood.

As a warm hand gripped her shoulder, she broke down and cried.


End file.
